Empowered Communities
How Digital Community Information Workers
Are Transforming Education
Mongolia is set to become a Digital Nation
Mongolia is set to become a Digital Nation enabling access to all public and other essential services to every household sparsely populated across its vast territory including the nomadic communities. The country has started the digitalization of over 200 public services through e-Mongolia platform launched in 2021. In education sector, digital platforms like Eduten, Pearson, and national Medle.mn are now key to classroom learning. However, teachers struggle with connectivity issues, ranging from simple fixes to complex network problems, which are hard to resolve due to a lack of skilled staff in schools. For parents like E. Bolortungalag, the digital community information workers project has been eye-opening.
Mongolia is set to become a Digital Nation enabling access to all public and other essential services to every household sparsely populated across its vast territory including the nomadic communities. The country has started the digitalization of over 200 public services through e-Mongolia platform launched in 2021. In education sector, digital platforms like Eduten, Pearson, and national Medle.mn are now key to classroom learning. However, teachers struggle with connectivity issues, ranging from simple fixes to complex network problems, which are hard to resolve due to a lack of skilled staff in schools.
"At first, I didn’t understand the educational platforms my daughter was using. But now I see how they help her learn and develop better digital habits. Before, she would just watch videos on her phone; now, she’s more engaged in her studies."
Mongolia’s DCIW model demonstrates how empowering teachers with digital skills can strengthen school connectivity, improve community digital literacy and support national digital transformation.
Empowering Educators and Schools
“Digital Community Information Worker” (DCIW) is a pilot project launched by UNICEF with the support of Joint SDG Fund and Giga in partnership with the Government of Mongolia, with the aim to enhance school connectivity and digital learning by training ICT teachers in network troubleshooting. It also prepared them as Digital Leaders to improve digital skills among teachers, students, and parents in remote communities, recognizing schools as key community hubs.
The project has been piloted in Dornod, Orkhon, Darkhan-Uul and Khentii provinces, and six districts of Ulaanbaatar. Over 70 teachers from 35 schools have been trained as digital information workers, who, in turn, have conducted digital literacy sessions for thousands of teachers, students, parents, and community members.
Mrs N. Delgermaa, an information technology teacher at Kherlen Soum School No. 1, in eastern province of Dornod was among the first participants.
"I attended UNICEF training along with my colleague Kherlenchimeg. We have learnt many new things about digital educational platforms, public services, network troubleshooting. After series of trainings we have trained over 300 teachers, students, parents, and community members"
“Parents who attended our trainings were particularly interested in learning about digital public services and digital safety and security. Usually, people who work for the public offices know about the government digital services, but not the regular citizens. Parents were happy to learn about many possibilities that can be accessed through digital platforms” says teacher Delgermaa. “They also wanted to know how they can protect their kids online”
Altangerel, a geography teacher at the same school, noted the impact on students: “They are now actively engaging with digital learning platforms like Medle, Eduten, and Pearson, improving their learning experience. Parents have also learned how to monitor their children’s digital activities using E-Kids and Google Family Link.”
Students Gaining Digital Awareness
Students also acknowledge the importance of digital literacy. N. Turhan, an 11th grader at Kherlen Soum School No. 1, shared her experience: “Before the training, I lacked knowledge about online safety. Many of my peers did too. Now, we understand digital security better and can protect ourselves online.”
In Khentii province, B. Nomin-Erdene, a mathematics teacher, emphasized the need to teach students how to verify online information and maintain a positive digital presence.
Student B. Enkhzaya from Batnorov soum’s school said, “This training helped me understand how to keep my personal information private and avoid online fraud.”
Beyond Schools: Supporting the Community
Among the teachers are not only information technology teachers, but math, language and other teachers who have not only personally interested in digital tools but use them widely to teach their subjects.
Mrs Ch.Enkhsolongo is a math teacher in Khentii province. Personally, she likes digital technology and does a lot of research in her free time. She says she was delighted to be trained to become a Digital Community Information Worker for personal and professional reasons. “I try to use different digital tools for my class. After becoming a DCIW I also became a go-to person in the school where teachers and students come to me with many questions about connectivity, online resources and even laptop troubles” smiles Enkh-Solongo.
Our schools have become more self-sufficient in managing IT-related issues. According to P. Ariunbaatar, a senior specialist in Khentii’s education department, “DCIWs have improved their skills in troubleshooting IT problems. They installed and check their connectivity using Giga’s Meter. Instead of solely relying on IT teachers, they can now handle minor networking issues.”
DCIWs have also played a crucial role in helping elderly individuals and people with disabilities access digital services. “Many senior citizens were not able to use their phones to access some digital services. We purposefully called them up and taught them some basic skills. And they were so grateful but also quite surprised at how easy and convenient it has become’ shares Enkh-Solongo.
I am a head of the senior citizens council in the province. I am grateful for the training by Ms Enkh-Solongo. I learnt about digital fraud and how we can identify or prevent it. I hear many cases where senior people have been de-frauded online. It was important to me. It is a very important project, I believe
Looking Ahead: Training the Next Generation
As the project progresses, schools are preparing to train student digital leaders in 2025. These students will promote responsible digital practices among their peers, ensuring that the benefits of the program continue to grow.
Through the dedication of educators, students, and community members, Mongolia is making significant strides in closing the digital divide—one connection at a time.
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