First Lady receives ICESCO equipment to boost e-learning

The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs. Janet Museveni, has received educational content creation kits donated as a response to the emergency situation caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the smooth flow of education globally.

The donation was made by the Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO).

The kits received by the education ministry, through the National Commission for UNESCO, include mobile video equipment, still cameras, laptops, external microphone system and other accessories.

A release from the First Lady's office states that the items will be given to six educational institutions to support the production of audio-visual educational content and materials in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning in Uganda.

The First Lady received the kits during a function held at State House, Entebbe on Friday. The ceremony was witnessed by state ministers J.C Muyingo (higher education) Rosemary Seninde (primary education) Denis Hamson Obua (sports) and other members of the education ministry's top management.

The Uganda National Commission for UNESCO (UNATCOM) team was led by the secretary general, Rosie Agoi. UNATCOM serves as the secretariat to ICESCO.

According to the release, Mrs Museveni thanked the ICESCO for the package, saying she hopes the equipment will augment the Government's effort to produce, record and broadcast lessons via the Internet and to reach as many learners as possible, across the country.

She was happy that the kits will also help the beneficiary institutions to generate content for training primary, secondary, BTVET and university teachers, plus continuous professional development for secondary school teachers under the SESEMAT arrangement, which she described as handy in fulfilling the requirement in the teacher policy.

Mrs. Museveni appealed to all beneficiary institutions to ensure effective use of the kits and urged members of top management in the education ministry to make every effort to follow up and support the effective use of the kits.

The six selected beneficiary institutions that will serve as hubs for the equipment include:

• Education ministry to boost the education radio and television section and NATCOM content development

• Shimoni Core PTC as the national hub for pre-primary and primary education, serving the central region

• Muni NTC for secondary teacher training, serving the West Nile region

• IUIU-OIC institution for university, serving the eastern region

• Abilonino for BTVET instructors, serving the northern region

• Ntare High School as the SESESMAT centre to serve the western region

Uganda's representative to ICESCO, who is also the vice-chancellor of Kampala International University, Dr Mouhammad Mpezamihingo, said the donation is an outcome of the virtual meeting of secretaries-general of ICESCO member states held on June 22, during which the UNATCOM secretary general voiced out the need for strengthening e-learning at all levels, since the pandemic led to the closure of all educational institutions in the country.

He conveyed Uganda's gratitude to the director general of ICESCO, Salim M. AlMalik, for the support given towards boosting e-learning amidst the pandemic.

He said ICESCO was established in 1981 by the Third Islamic Summit Conference held in Saudi Arabia, as an international Islamic body to operate alongside the joint Islamic action organs, within the Organisation of the Islamic Co-operation (OIC) with a mandate in the fields of education, sciences, culture and communication.

The objectives of ICESCO are similar to those of UNESCO, namely, to promote co-operation among member states in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.

The fundamental difference between the organisations is that ICESCO operates within the framework of the civilisational reference of the Islamic world and in the light of the human Islamic values and ideals.