By Abdou Mbye
The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE), Hon. Claudiana Cole has attended a high level convergence of education and skills ministers, dubbed the Education World Forum, 2022 held in the UK. The World Forum was graced by 112 ministers from 107 countries across the world. The theme was: “Education: Building forward, Strong, Bolder, and Better”. The Assembly was challenged to deliberate on the global education system that yearned for skilled-driven scheme which responds to the world’s developmental aspirations thereby addressing the evolving human capital prerequisite.
In her remarks at the event Hon. Claudiana Cole highlighted the digital education transformation agenda in The Gambia, and called for new collaboration with world education stakeholders, in order to consolidate digitally-driven learning successes and continue on the path of delivering relevant and quality education through the use of technology.
Microsoft has recently supported MOBSE with licence to its 365 Office Suite for education that included Microsoft Teams, a tool that facilitates virtual learning, which is essential to building back better and to accelerating learning. Microsoft’s support was accompanied with some staff training of the Ministry and a cohort of Training of Trainers (TOTs) at regional and school levels.
In this light, Minister Cole had a bilateral engagement with the officials of Microsoft Education Team at the World Forum, to explore new measures and tools in meeting their digital teaching and learning aspirations for quality education.
Minister Cole and Microsoft Head of Education, Mr. Mark East; Ms. Alexa Joyce Director of Education Strategy and Skills; and Ms. Jaye Richards-Hill, Microsoft Education Director for Africa dilated on ways to continue the facilitation of distance learning programme and the enhancement of technological facilities in teaching and learning processes.
The meeting offered the Minister the opportunity to draw best educational practices, premised on delivering quality education through conventional and digital means, setting high education standards in developed countries across the globe.