The Qingdao Declaration is a document that provides UN Member States with policy recommendations for harnessing the power of ICT to address current educational challenges, and to ensure equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all. It was the key output of the International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education, which took place 23–25 May 2015 in Qingdao, People's Republic of China. The conference was organized by UNESCO, the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO.[1]
The Qingdao Declaration was endorsed by Ministers of Education, high-level government officials, representatives of United Nations (UN) agencies, civil society organizations, teacher organizations, as well as other development partners, members of academia, and the private sector.
Both the Incheon and Qingdao Declarations say that Information and communication technologies (ICTs) must be harnessed to strengthen education systems, knowledge dissemination, information access, quality and effective learning, and more effective service provision. The Qingdao Declaration contains statements on how to unleash the full potential of ICT in terms of:
The declaration highlights the potential of technology to support education by promoting equity, access, quality, and lifelong learning. It emphasizes the importance of teacher development and support, the use of open educational resources, quality assurance in online learning, and the collaboration between governments, industry partners, and education stakeholders. The declaration recommends the establishment of a clearing house by UNESCO to share good practices and lessons learned in technology-supported education innovations, and it encourages cooperation between governments and the private sector to secure funding for ICT in education.[2]