With mobile telephone access reaching
over five billion of the world’s population, the United Nations
educational agency today announced the launch of an initiative to
harness the technology and bring mobile phone use into the classroom.
In a statement
issued in Paris, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) declared the opening of a global summit and
symposium gathering experts from around the world to discuss the
impact of the mobile telephone on education and learning.
Dubbed Mobile Learning Week, and
organized in partnership with the conglomerate Nokia, the meeting has
brought together close to 200 policy-makers, educators, academics and
researchers from across the globe in an effort to provide insight on
how mobile telephones can support teachers and students alike.
Initiatives promoting mobile learning
have already been spearheaded across a wide range of countries –
including Mozambique, Pakistan, South Africa, Niger, Kenya, and
Mongolia – where policies have already provided access to distance
education in far-flung communities and improved literacy among girls
According to recent data, 90 per cent
of the world’s population now has access to mobile networks,
prompting growing enthusiasm for the potential of mobile devices to
improve education access and quality.
(Source: UN News Center)