In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many polish students and teachers found themselves unable to pursue education online due to a lack of equipment and training.
Two ESF-funded projects have helped Poland overcome this ‘digital divide’.
• With a total budget of over €25 million – nearly half-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) – the “Support for children placed in foster care during the COVID-19 epidemic” project coordinated the provision of IT equipment (including laptops, desktops, software and audio-visual equipment) and interactive software for remote learning. The project also focused on increasing children’s safety in light of COVID through the provision of personal protection equipment – including masks, gloves and disinfectant – as well equipping quarantine/isolation rooms for foster care children. Through the project, thousands of children were given access to computers and multimedia equipment – allowing for meaningful education to continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To follow up on this success, the "Supporting teacher training institutions and pedagogical libraries in the implementation of tasks related to the preparation and support of teachers in conducting education at a distance” project was launched in August 2020. Running until December 2021, the ESF co-financed project will continue to provide IT equipment for teacher training centres and libraries. The project will also give critical IT training to teachers and staff – allowing them to use these tools to their full capacity. Ultimately, around 32 000 teachers will benefit through resources available on the Integrated Educational Platform funded by the ESF.
Fore more information
