Context

The Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), part of National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) of the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, has been awarded UNESCO’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education for 2021.

About

• The Ministry of Education initiative to use ICT under the "PM eVidya" scheme during the Covid pandemic has won UNESCO's recognition.
• The CIET was proactive in bringing learning to children’s doorsteps.
• These efforts were especially helpful in pandemic situations, when schools were closed, in reaching out to students.
• These efforts helped in arresting the learning hiatus to a large extent.
• It used12 PM eVidya DTH TV channels and nearly 397 radio stations, including community radio stations under the PM eVidya program.

PM eVIDYA:

• The PM eVIDYA was initiated as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan by the Ministry of Education in 2020.
• It unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access for imparting education by using technology to minimise learning losses.

UNESCO’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize 

• It was established in 2005 with the support of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• The Prize rewards individuals and organizations that are implementing outstanding projects and promoting the creative use of technologies to enhance learning, teaching and overall educational performance in the digital age.
• An international Jury selects the two best projects
• Each prize winner receives USD 25,000, a medal and a diploma during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
• This award recognizes innovative approaches to leveraging new technologies to expand educational and lifelong learning opportunities for all, in line with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and its goal 4 on Education.