The UNESCO, UNICEF and ITU Charter for Public Digital Learning Platforms is now officially open for public consultation, seeking inputs and feedback from governments, practitioners, researchers, civil society and technology experts. This marks a significant milestone in shaping how digital learning platforms are designed, governed and sustained in the public interest.
Opened at the recent OEB Conference in Berlin, the Charter is uniquely dedicated to public digital learning platforms. It responds to a growing global reality: while digital tools play an ever- increasingly central role in education, many countries still lack trusted, publicly governed digital spaces that reflect the values and objectives of public education.
Developed under the Gateways to Public Digital Learning initiative, the Charter frames public digital learning platforms as digital public goods – comparable to public schools in the physical world – that should uphold equity, quality and the right to education. Rather than prescribing specific technologies, it sets out seven guiding principles to help countries make informed choices suited to their national contexts.
This work brings together complementary strengths across three organizations, UNESCO, UNICEF and ITU, combining educational vision, a strong child-centred perspective, and the technical foundations needed to ensure openness, interoperability and responsible data governance.
The public consultation phase now invites all of you- governments, practitioners, researchers, civil society and technology experts to share your feedback on the Charter. You can review the document here and give feedback through the public consultation process here
This is a unique opportunity to ensure that the final text reflects your lived realities and experiences from different regions. As a part of Giga’s broader work on digital transformation for education, the Charter will provide crucial principles on the development of public digital learning platform for countries seeking to build systems that are interoperable, sustainable and firmly anchored in public values.