Ukraine Education Cluster: Basic standards for Digital Learning Centers [EN/UK]

Aim and purpose of digital learning centers (DLC, Eng. Digital Learning Center)

DLC is a learning space:

• furnished with the necessary devices and materials for distant (online) learning;

• that has teachers and facilitators who have undergone relevant training;

DLC`s purpose is:

• to support access to formal education for school children, provide catch-up learning activities, psychosocial support, teach life skills, etc (see standard 4).

• to ensure the opportunity for children and adolescents to participate in non-formal education activities, if the relevant institutions do not provide them for various reasons;

• to create possibilities for socialization and interaction between children and adolescents;

• to support teachers in carrying out formal education and/or to improve teachers` professional competences.

Who is the target audience for DLCs?

The aim of DLCs is to provide safe access to distant formal education and informal education for children who:

• have no access to in-person learning

• have limited access to distant (blended) education due to lack of learning devices or due to other reasons (e.g. schools have limited capacity to accommodate additional enrollments (IDPs), children have barriers accessing online learning under the blended modality)

• need additional support in (catch up) learning or need psychosocial support

Also, DLCs can serve as safe spaces for educators. For some of them this can be the only possibility to provide educational services, get prepared to classes in difficult circumstances: blackouts, lack of internet connection, printer, laptop, etc. If teachers are involved in the work of a center, supplementary activities can be carried out to provide them with material support and improve their qualifications.

The primary target audience of DLS is concentrated in regions or communities where, due to military actions children, their parents, and teachers have reduced access to education. In unsafe areas, a possible solution is to create DLCs directly in bomb shelters (if they have enough space, to accommodate DLC children together with the main users of such shelter). DLCs might also be considered in those communities where access to formal in-person or online education is significantly reduced due to other reasons (e.g. lack of school/shelter capacity to accommodate all children) or for children in collective centers, children from especially vulnerable groups.