The Future of Africa: AI, Robotics, and Education?
Event Information
Description
Please join us for a special UNESCO IBE Learning Series presentation on "The Future of Africa: AI, Robotics, and Education?"
Prepare to be inspired by a young female scientist and entrepreneur, who's changing the world of AI and robotics!
Betelhem Dessie Asnake is Ethiopia’s leading youth technology entrepreneur.
Only 18 years old, she is the project manager of iCog-Anyone Can Code, an initiative she started, in partnership with iCog Labs — Ethiopia’s first AI and robotics lab, co-founded by American AI pioneer Ben Goertzel, and leading Ethiopian techno-futurist Getnet Aseffa. The Anyone Can Code project is a result of her vision, which aims at using advanced technology to uplift children and students in the developing world.
Born and raised in Harar, Ethiopia, Betelhem became interested in computers when she was seven. She started coding with Visual Basic and HTML at the age of 10, and since then she has continued to learn, mastering the key aspects of computer science and robotics by her mid-teens. She moved to Addis Ababa after meeting the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who enabled her work with INSA, a government agency. She is now a software engineering student at Addis Ababa Institute of Technology.
For more information, please contact Simona Popa, at s.popa@unesco.org
Organizer UNESCO International Bureau of Education
Organizer of The Future of Africa: AI, Robotics, and Education?
The International Bureau of Education (IBE) was established in 1925, as a private, non-governmental organisation, by leading Swiss educators, to provide intellectual leadership and to promote international cooperation in education. In 1929, the IBE opened its membership to other countries, and became the first intergovernmental organisation in the field of education. At the same time, Jean Piaget, professor of psychology at the University of Geneva, was appointed director and he went on to lead IBE for 40 years.
In 1969, the IBE became an integral part of UNESCO, while retaining intellectual and functional autonomy. In 1999, the IBE became the UNESCO Category I institute responsible for educational content, methods and teaching/learning strategies through curriculum development. Over the years, the core mandate of the IBE has changed, reaching an apex in 2011, when the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference declared the IBE a Global Centre of Excellence in curriculum and related matters.
The current mandate of the IBE is to provide support and promote innovative solutions to the challenges faced by ministries of education and governments in the complex task of improving equity, quality, relevance and effectiveness of curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment processes and outcomes. This mandate positions it to support Member States' efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
