UNESCO-ICHEI visited the University of Nairobi, Kenya
2023.03.13
On 13 March 2023, the delegation from the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) (hereinafter referred to as "UNESCO-ICHEI") visited the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Guests attending the meeting included: Mr. LI Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Mr. LU Chun, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Vice President of SUSTech, and other chiefs of departments of UNESCO-ICHEI; Professor Stephen Gitahi Kiama, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Professor Julius A. Ogeng'o, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs of the University of Nairobi, Mr. Brian O. Ouma, Director advancement and Chief Operations Officer of the University of Nairobi, Mr. Justus Inyega, Director of IIOE National Center of Kenya and Associate Professor of Department of Science Education of the University of Nairobi, Mr. Paul N. Kariuki, Director of Department of Information and Communication Technology, other Heads of departments, and representatives of lecturers in University of Nairobi.
Group Photo of UNESCO-ICHEI and University of Nairobi
Professor Stephen Gitahi Kiama, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, welcomed the UNESCO-ICHEI delegation to the University of Nairobi and introduced the University's features, academic achievements, and future development plan. Professor LI Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, expressed his gratitude to the University of Nairobi for their hospitality and for the UoN's contribution to IIOE as the IIOE rotating presidency unit in 2022, and expressed his expectation for further strengthening and deepening cooperation between the two parties. Professor LU Chun, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Vice President of SUSTech, introduced SUSTech and the partnership between SUSTech and University of Nairobi. He also invited the students of University of Nairobi to pursue master degree and PhD degree in SUSTech.
Prof. LI Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI( Left) Prof. Stephen Kiama, Vice Chancellor of University of Nairobi (Right)
Prof. LU Chun, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Vice President of SUSTech ( Left) Prof. Stephen Kiama, Vice Chancellor of University of Nairobi (Right)
Ms. BI Xiaohan, Assistant Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Chief of the West-Asia and Africa Programme Office, introduced the history of the cooperation between UNESCO-ICHEI and the University of Nairobi, the development of IIOE's teacher professional development programme and the achievements of the IIOE National Centre's Empowering Digital Teaching and Learning for Teachers Pilot Project. Ms. BI also gave a presentation on UNESCO-ICHEI's future plan to collaboratively develop IIOE certified professional development programme and IIOE micro-credentials mechanism with IIOE's global partners. Both sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the prospect of cooperation in these two areas.
Discussion between UNESCO-ICHEI and University of Nairobi
Professor Li Ming, director of UNESCO-ICHEI, said that UNESCO-ICHEI will promote more private sector partnerships with the University of Nairobi, especially by using the virtual reality (VR) technology provided by IIOE partner companies and the remote training function of the Smart Classroom of the University of Nairobi to empower students' learning in the smart classroom. He emphasised that IIOE will conduct consultation with the University of Nairobi on the IIOE Certified teacher professional development training programme, and jointly explore and implement the IIOE micro-credential mechanism according to Kenya's localised needs. UNESCO-ICHEI will pave the way for professional cooperation between the University of Nairobi and China's education digital transformation community, and hopes that the IIOE Kenya National Center could invite more Kenyan universities to join IIOE network, so that more teachers can benefit from digital transformation. Professor Li Ming invited Professor Stephen Kiama to participate in the IIOE Partner HEI Leadership Forum to be held in Shenzhen and Hong Kong in December 2023 and to visit UNESCO-ICHEI in Shenzhen. He also welcomes students from the University of Nairobi to study at Southern University of Science and Technology.
Remarks by Prof. LI Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI
Professor Stephen Kiama, Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, expressed his appreciation and gratitude to UNESCO-ICHEI for helping the University of Nairobi to establish more private sector partnerships and promoting the use of innovative technologies. He is very supportive of the IIOE certified teacher professional development programmes proposed by UNESCO-ICHEI. He said that the University of Nairobi will actively participate in the micro-credentials programme consultation and appoint a focal point to discuss details with UNESCO-ICHEI to jointly carry out the certified teacher professional development training. Professor Stephen Kiama also said that the University of Nairobi will continue to actively expand the IIOE Kenya National Center network, attract more Kenyan universities to join IIOE and enable more Kenyan university teachers to benefit from digital transformation. He also expressed his willingness to participate in the IIOE partner HEIs leadership forum and visit UNESCO-ICHEI while thanking Prof. LI Ming for his invitation.
Prof. Stephen Kiama, Vice Chancellor of University of Nairobi
After the meeting, both parties visited the Smart Classroom and digital teaching related facilities in the ICT center, faculty of computer and faculty of mathematics in the University of Nairobi. Mr. Paul N. Kariuki, Director of the Department of Information and Communication Technology, gave a detailed presentation on the operation of the University of Nairobi Smart Classroom to the delegation. Officially inaugurated in April 2022, the University of Nairobi Smart Classroom was established by UNESCO-ICHEI, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), University of Nairobi and Guangzhou Createview Education Technology Co. Ltd. with the purpose of creating a digital learning environment to support online and blended learning as well as innovative teaching practices at the University of Nairobi.
UNESCO-ICHEI visited the smart classroom and digital teaching related facilities in the ICT center, faculty of computer and faculty of mathematics in the University of Nairobi
Established in 1956, the University of Nairobi is a public research university based in Nairobi, Kenya. The University was the IIOE rotation presidency unit for 2022. During its presidency, the University of Nairobi has made outstanding contributions to the expansion of the IIOE global partnership network, the development of IIOE National Centres, the strengthening of the IIOE Secretariat mechanism, and research on the digital transformation of higher education. With a student population of 84,000, the University of Nairobi is the largest institution of higher learning in Kenya and the region at large. The University of Nairobi is renowned for its academic excellence, particularly in the areas of agriculture, health sciences, environmental studies, and engineering. In addition to its academic programs, the University of Nairobi is also actively involved in community services that contribute to the social and economic development of Nairobi. With many distinguished alumni, including several former presidents of Kenya, senior government officials, and business leaders, the University of Nairobi has been acclaimed as one of Africa's top universities and a center of academic and innovation on the continent.
On 13 March 2023, the delegation from the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) (hereinafter referred to as "UNESCO-ICHEI") visited the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Guests attending the meeting included: Mr. LI Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Mr. LU Chun, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Vice President of SUSTech, and other chiefs of d
