IFLA’s Asia-Oceania Regional Division Committee will be represented at a panel discussion during the 2022 Asia-Pacific regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF). The panel discussion aims to cover issues around the theme “Resilience and inclusivity in digital education”. The event is in hybrid mode.

What is the Asia-Pacific regional Internet Governance Forum?

The Asia-Pacific regional Internet Governance Forum brings together governments, business and other stakeholders to address key issues in how the internet is run. This year’s theme is “A under the theme: ‘People at the centre: envisioning a community-led internet that is inclusive, sustainable and trusted’.

IFLA’s Asia-Oceania Regional Division Committee engagement

This session in the programme of the APrIGF conference aims to elicit strategies and best practices that support and create a resilient digital education ecosystem, from infrastructure to reforms to policy designs and adequate implementation capacity to workforce strategies.

The discussion outcomes will help build on the existing discourse and guide appropriate investment in the space. The panel discussion will focus on the wider social context in which the internet operates, meaning it must be well-governed for all sectors in the community, emphasizing on human rights, inclusion and diversity. Answers will be sought to the following questions:

  1. How to improve the accessibility of infrastructure (meaningful connectivity, tools, devices) required for providing digital education at school and at home?
  2. What should be done to improve capacity building for both educators and learners? Under the capacity building dimension, the issue of technical skill deficit among educators and language gap in accessing meaningful educational contents will be discussed. The scope of discussion covers the ‘supply side’ – ensuring that teachers and other educators (including libraries) have the skills needed to provide meaningful education as well as the ‘demand side’- ensuring that learners themselves have the skills and tools necessary to make best use of online education
  3. It is important tailoring digital education to prepare the future workforce. Learning is not the same as being ready for the world of work. With unprecedented economic changes ushered by technological innovations, digital education is uniquely positioned to build the future workforce’s skill sets. But is digital education sufficiently equipped for the task?

Check out the Programme details for more info.

Moderator

The panel discussion will be moderated by Winston Roberts, Chair of the Regional Division Committee for Asia-Oceania.

Speakers

  • Ashirwad Tripathy | ISOC
  • Binod Basnet | ISOC
  • Nina Nakaora | IFLA Asia-Oceania Regional Division Committee Member
  • Misako Nomura | IFLA Asia-Oceania Regional Division Committee Member

Rapporteur

  • Gene Tan | IFLA Asia-Oceania Regional Division Committeee

For more info read here.