Successful year of the Digital Coalition: million euros to boost the digital skills of pupils and seniors

• July 24, 2024
• admin

(Bratislava, 24. 07. 2024) – Digital pupil, Ukrainian pupil or Digital courses for seniors. These are just some of the more than 65 million euro projects implemented by the Digital Coalition last year. Thanks to new computers, tablets and training courses, more than 150,000 children and seniors have improved their digital skills.

This is according to the annual report approved by the General Assembly of the National Coalition for Digital Skills and Occupations of the Slovak Republic (Digital Coalition). According to its Chair, the approval of the 2023 Annual Report and Accounts confirms the stable financial situation and the successful implementation of the Digital Coalition objectives. “The approval ofthe 2023 annual report and accounts is a testament to our transparency and efficient management,” said Mário Lelovský, President of the Digital Coalition. “Weare pleasedthat we have been able to successfully conclude three major national projects thathave had a positive impact on digital education in our country.”

The General Assembly was attended by representatives of member organizations, including Vladimír Kešjar, General Secretary of the Service Office of the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Ivančina, State Secretary of the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic, Miroslav Kočan, General Secretary of the Service Office of the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, Emil Fitoš, President of the IT Association of Slovakia and other important guests.

Digital Coalition projects and support for education

During the Assembly, the activities of the Digital Coalition 2023 were presented, which achieved significant successes and helped to improve digital skills across different target groups in Slovakia. Among the most successful was the Digital Pupil project, which helped to support the development of digital skills among more than 130,000 pupils, including those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Another important activity aimed at supporting the systematic equipping of children with digital technology was the Ukrainian pupil project. It has helped over 9,300 Ukrainian children acquire digital education facilities. In addition, the Digital Coalition has managed to implement training courses for more than 13,000 seniors. To develop and test the level of digital skills of pupils, students and teachers in Slovakia, V4 countries and Ukraine, the Digital Coalition succeeds every year thanks to the IT Fitness Test project. In 2023, the 12th edition took place, attended by more than 150,000 respondents. In the ongoing 13th edition, the test questions focus on the current needs of the young generation and their orientation in the digital world.

Over the past year, the Digital Coalition has also implemented a number of international projects, including a development project in cooperation with the European Migration Agency on digital education and labour mobility in Moldova. Working with talent and creating international cooperation is one of the main priorities of the Digital Coalition. The Digital Coalition has also decided to translate this initiative into the creation of an international online platform of digital coalitions across other countries, thanks to which it has made the sharing of interesting projects and initiatives of member organisations even more accessible beyond Slovakia’s borders.

Vision for 2024

Through its activities over the past year, the Digital Coalition has confirmed that it is ready to face the challenges of the digital future and actively contribute to improving digital skills in Slovakia. “The outcome of 2023, the successfulactivities and innovative projects of the Digital Coalition show that our efforts make sense. We are pleased that we can continue to work on projects thathave a positive impact on digital education in our country,” said Mário Lelovský, adding that the Digital Coalition plans to reflect in particular on the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, the green and digital transitions, as well as improving digital skills next year.