DHAKA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's JAAGO Foundation, a local development organization, has received the UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Award for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Education.
The award is in recognition of JAAGO Foundation's work in eradicating poverty by providing quality education through ICT to the underprivileged community in the remote areas of Bangladesh through Online School.
UNESCO has been recognizing innovations in teaching and learning that leverage technology to improve educational outcomes since 2005.
JAAGO Foundation has been operating 10 Online Schools in Bangladesh in partnership with Grameenphone Limited, Norwegian Telenor Group's concern in Bangladesh and Agni Systems Ltd, a leading local Internet service providing company.
JAAGO Foundation and one other organization were selected by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the basis of recommendations made by an international jury of five independent and recognized experts in the area of ICT in Education from each region, said a Grameenphone press release received here Wednesday.
JAAGO Foundation is also running three conventional schools for underprivileged children.
Online schools provide quality education in remote areas of Bangladesh through video conference system providing high quality teaching staff from Dhaka.
Founder of JAAGO Foundation Korvi Rakshand, who received the award in Paris Tuesday, in his speech thanked UNESCO for the recognition of the effort they have put in the last 10 years.
He said the award will not only boost their confidence but also help spread the word and create more partnership in Bangladesh and beyond to take quality education to the most remote parts of the world.
He also thanked UNESCO for giving the award on the 21st of February, the International Mother Language Day. Bangladesh is the birth place of International Mother Language Day. In 1952, the student movement in Bangladesh fought to protect their language, Bangla (Bengali). In 2000 UNESCO declared 21st February as International Mother Language Day.
