Fundación Cisneros, a Leader in the Plan of Action for Education in the Digital Age

Recently, the GAID (Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies ICT and Development) held a meeting in Monterrey, Mexico. The summit brought together experts from around the world in the areas of business, government and NGOs to address the topic of education and innovation, and propose the development of a Plan of Action for Education in the Digital Age capable of providing support and resources for governments in developing countries to include ICT in their educational systems.

During the meeting, there was a presentation on programs that use ICT for education, as is the case with the AME (Actualización de Maestros en Educación) program, of the Fundación Cisneros, which has focused on digital literacy teaching courses in the region since 2003. AME allows teachers to participate in courses relevant to content such as reading and writing, mathematics, health, ethics and values and conflict resolution, among others. Indeed, according to what was discussed at the meeting in Monterrey, the latest global analysis indicated that the challenges to include ICT in education systems are associated with the generation of content and tools.

The contribution of AME, present in 13 countries in the region, has gained renewed importance since UNESCO revealed in its latest report that pre-school, primary, secondary and university education has expanded rapidly throughout Latin America, but that the achievement levels are below international standards.

"The AME program provides teachers from the region with an opportunity to access new technologies and be updated on relevant subjects. There is no doubt that innovation in education opens new doors to expand the scope of teachers' work and improve the quality of education, a must in Latin America," said William Phelan, Vice President and Executive Director of the Fundación Cisneros.

During the Monterrey meeting, they also welcomed the meeting of the Advisory Council of GAID, of which the Fundación Cisneros is a member.