UNV National Youth Digital Learning

Update

The National Digital Learning Programme (PNAD) in São Tomé and Príncipe, supported by UNICEF, integrates the Akelius and Learning Passport platforms, aiming to provide digital educational resources aligned with the national curriculum. The programme seeks to improve learning outcomes and promote the digital inclusion of children and adolescents.
The Akelius programme is being implemented in five pilot schools, offering an application focused on language learning, literacy, and numeracy. The Learning Passport programme, in turn, has been implemented in seven schools in São Tomé and ten in Príncipe, providing interactive curricular content for students and teachers.
The United Nations Volunteer will support the operationalization of these platforms and the implementation of education sector initiatives, with a focus on capacity building, community engagement, and digital integration.

Under the direct supervision of the Education Specialist, the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) will contribute to achieving the following results within the framework of UNICEF’s Education Programme in São Tomé and Príncipe. The UNV will directly support the implementation of the National Digital Learning Programme (PNAD) and other pedagogical initiatives promoted by UNICEF, with a special focus on promoting digital learning, building the capacity of local stakeholders, strengthening community engagement, and increasing the visibility of actions. The responsibilities will include:

a. Capacity building
• Support the Digital Education Lab in developing and delivering training sessions for teachers and local technicians.
• Conduct capacity-building sessions with selected young volunteers to provide support in pilot schools and ensure effective implementation of the PNAD.
• Monitor the integration of digital learning into pedagogical planning and support other UNICEF training initiatives within the education sector.
b. Content creation and technical support
• Support and collaborate with teachers, pedagogical supervisors, and MECCC technicians to create digital content aligned with the national curriculum.
• Support the uploading and curation of educational materials on the learning platform, following institutional validation.
• Develop strategies, in collaboration with UNICEF’s SBC and Communication teams, to increase the usage and accessibility of digital platforms by children, in-cluding those with disabilities or living in remote areas.
c. Monitoring, data, and reporting
• Conduct regular monitoring visits to beneficiary schools to follow up on the use of tablets and computers, ensuring equipment functionality and appropriate use.
• Collect data and prepare progress reports based on key performance indicators.
• Document actions through visual (images, videos, audio) and written evidence.
d. Visibility and communication
• Support the updating of social media and other communication channels related to the PNAD, in partnership with UNICEF’s Communication section.
• Produce digital content for social media, blogs, and advocacy materials that show-case results and best practices from educational initiatives.
• Raise awareness within the educational community on the effective use of digital platforms.
e. Cross-cutting support and coordination
• Provide logistical support for the organization of events, training sessions, workshops, and field missions, including intersectoral actions across Education, Child Protection, ADAP, and Health.
• Act as a point of contact for resolving technical and operational issues related to the use of digital platforms, in collaboration with schools and institutional partners.
• Produce analytical reports based on data extracted from the platforms and provide support to the technical team and MECCES in information management.
f. Support the Education Program
• Support all initiatives under the Education Programme beyond digital learning, en-suring coherence and alignment with national policies and UNICEF’s priorities.
• Collaborate closely with local authorities, partners, and other UNICEF sectors to promote equitable access to quality education for all children in São Tomé and Príncipe.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day).
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publica-tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers.
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Working with UNICEF, the UNV for Digital Learning will contribute to obtain the following results:
a. Increased number of students and teachers using digital learning platforms.
b. Enhanced percentage of teachers trained in digital and pedagogical skills.
c. Educational digital content downloaded, developed, validated, and uploaded to the platforms.
d. Increased frequency of monitoring visits and technical supervision to schools.
e. Greater number of youths trained and mobilized to support the implementation of the PNAD.
f. Promoted equitable access to digital learning tools.
g. Strengthened visibility of UNICEF’s Education Programme and ongoing initiatives with its partners.
h. Increased number of technical reports produced and shared with strategic partners.