Concluding remarks SYMPOSIUM Ms Patience Stephens Special Advisor on Education UN Women Mr David Atchoarena Director Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems UNESCO

Gender equality in Education An unfinished business Significant progress since 2000 But gender gaps persists. Not only an issue for developing countries; a global issue

Mobile Penetration Offers Opportunities for Education Barcelona is an important hub for hosting significant conferences and initiatives on technology in education: Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Barcelona is of course the host city of the Mobile World Congress (next one in March 2015). Moreover, the mSchools movement was born in Barcelona. The mSchools initiative: The aim of the mSchools initiative in the Mobile World Capital is to fuel the academic ecosystem, enhance learning outcomes and embrace mobile technologies as an opportunity for change. The programme brings together public and private institutions in support of the mSchools initiative, opening up new ways of teaching and learning that improve achievement and employability. UNESCO Mobile Learning Programme - Mobile Learning Week - Mobile Learning Publications With an estimated 6.9 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide, there are literally billions of potential mobile readers in the world (GSMA, 2014) Recent data from the United Nations indicate that of the estimated 7 billion people on Earth, over 6 billion now have access to a working mobile phone. To put this number in perspective, only 4.5 billion people have access to a toilet (United Nations, 2013)

What mobile technology can offer Ubiquity Mobility Affordability If you don’t believe me here’s a roundup of recent headlines. (that demonstrates the fast growth of mobile learning)

How can mobile learning help improve Access Skills development Literacy Gender responsive content and pedagogy ?

Access Affordability: use low cost devices and SMS delivered content, promote PPP and inter-Ministerial cooperation (infrastructure development, cost of communication) Capacity development: abilities and engagement in the design and use of technology Special attention to rural areas Access to technology, via TVET, as a tool for women’s empowerment Policy is key (UNESCO’s guidelines for mobile learning ) Advocacy and partnerships

Skills development Mobile learning increases the motivation to learn consider studies and careers in STEM Providing skills for life and work technology can enable girls and women express their views and share knowledge to improve their daily lives on topics such as health, agriculture and other sustainable development issues Enhancing the employability of women Skills for entrepreneurship a strategic way to empowerment Integrated services: skills, career guidance, access to credit… Opening up new LLL pathways and oportunities Teachers need to be supported in order to become digitally competent and ‘true’ mentors

Literacy Capitalize on women’s needs and imperatives Skills relevant for the community From functional literacy to literacy for empowerment Targeting (parents, the community) Promoting decentralized solutions

Literacy (ctd.) Involving women in developing the technology (designing the devices, developing the applications and the content) Mobility: appropriate for flexible learning and adult learning Fostering connectivity to peers and local communities Scaling up literacy programmes

Gender Sensitive Content Content matters ! (shaping the mind of learners) Need to change the balance of gender in education resources From addressing « things girls like» to «things» that challenge the traditional stereotypes Mobile technology increases the richness of content (multimedia)

Gender Sensitive Pedagogy Facilitate project based learning, game based learning Combining social media with academic sources Gender sensitive teaching, privacy concerns Access, skills development, literacy need to be provided to progress towards gender sensitive content and pedagogy

Towards women’s empowerment Technology EDUCATION Skills Knowledge Recognition/power

The way forward A MLW portal? The policy environment (Technology, education, financing) Monitoring, Evaluation and Research MLW findings as a foundation for further debate in other fora (NY) DARE (Development Abilities Resources Environment)