The recently formed IFIP Task Force on “Sustaining relevant digital inclusive education for young people (5-18 years of age)” will present a summary of its current findings to international audiences and organisations at WSIS 2023.

The work of the Task Force is focused on how to address the Thematic Action Tracks from a recent UNESCO Summit convened at a global level to spotlight areas that require greater attention and action: “Inclusive, equitable, safe and healthy schools; Teachers, teaching and the teaching profession; Learning and skills for life, work and sustainable development; and Digital learning and transformation”. 

The WSIS presentation, on 16 March 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, will discuss findings arising from a wide consultation process that has drawn on effective actions that nations and international groups have already put into place, including: 

  • raising aspirations; 
  • ensuring diversity, inclusion, the digital divide and the under-represented; 
  • implementing computational thinking and its links to problem-solving; 
  • developing effective teacher practices; and 
  • pursuing short- and long-term plans and actions. 

The group’s findings will be distributed after the workshop presentation. 

The new Task Force is chaired by Prof Don Passey (Chair of IFIP TC3), and includes: 

  • Prof Luís Manuel Dias Coelho Soares Barbosa (Chair of IFIP TC1), 
  • Prof A Min Tjoa (IFIP Past Honorary Secretary), 
  • Prof Adesina Sodiya (President of the Nigeria Computer Society), 
  • Jo Dalvean (Deputy Chair of IP3), 
  • Admire Gwanzura (President of the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa), 
  • Greg Lane (CEO of the Canadian Information Processing Society) and 
  • Damith Hettihewa (President of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka). 

The Task Force is concerned with ‘Sustaining’ (long-term as well as short-term measures and needs), ‘Relevant’ (current and future needs of young people), ‘Digital inclusive’ (inclusive engagement, independent of gender, ethnicity, disability), ‘education’ (effective onsite as well as offsite provision), and ‘For young people’ (5-18-year-old young people).