Digital technology has become a leading force in the development of higher education and digital infrastructure is essential to the digital transformation of education. However, universities in developing countries face a digital divide in terms of financial support human capacity, and experience in using digital infrastructure amidst the global wave of technological revolution and digital transformation. To address these challenges, the International Centre for Higher Education lnnovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEl) in collaboration with Chinese Ed-Tech enterprises and global Higher Education Institutions (HEls), is promoting the Smart Classroom Project, an innovative solution to support the development of digital infrastructure that benefits higher education systems around the world.

"One Country, One University, One Classroom," international organization-enterprise-university cooperation paves the way for digital development

Since 2017, UNESCO-ICHEl has partnered with private sponsors, including Weidong, Creatview, Seewo, and OS-EASY, to establish digital education infrastructure in developing countries, as well as gaining disciplinary and instructional technical support from the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), China. Smart Classrooms have benefited a dozen universities in the developing world, and the project aims to enhance local universities' digital education equipment, provide personalized and intelligent interactive spaces for teaching activities, and promote future-oriented innovation in education.

The Smart Classroom Project follows the model of "One Country, One University, One Classroom," which involves the selection of a flagship university in each developing country to establish an exemplary digital transformation project.

Leveraging digital educational technologies such as smart screens, recording systems, Virtual Reality (VR), and educational robots, diverse, innovative teaching activities are carried out to promote collaborative construction and sharing of digital educational resources. As of June 2023 the Smart Classroom Project has been successfully deployed and used in 18 countries, including Cambodia, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Uganda.

With the infrastructural development brought by the Smart Classroom Project, the participating universities have delivered more than 3,500 hours of online and blended learning content at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Courses covering ten different languages have already benefited more than 50,000 learners. The Smart Classrooms have provided universities in developing countries with diverse opportunities to respond to the impact of the pandemic, establish smart education standards, and foster teaching innovations. The prospect of digital transformation in higher education is becoming a new reality.

In Egypt, the Smart Classroom has provided Ain Shams University with a robust support system for coping with COVID-19. During the pandemic, the university utilized the remote teaching functions of the Smart Classroom to record online and blended courses and ensure the continuity of education. This initiative has benefited more than 20,000 students. The Smart Classroom at the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, has become a model for developing digital education in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. With the support of the Punjab Higher Education Commission, other higher education institutions are developing their digital education infrastructure following the Smart Classroom's standards. In Nigeria, the Smart Classroom has enabled Ahmadu Bello University to offer teacher training programs and establish an online education platform for seven universities. With the support of the Smart Classroom Project, the university has emerged as an essential hub for Nigeria's education digital transformation.

A community of a shared future

This dynamic program of smart classrooms is continuously attracting more universities and technology enterprises to collaborate on the construction of the next-generation educational infrastructure in higher education. Together, the cross-sectoral alliance is constructing a community with a shared future that promotes digital advancement in education.

Universities in countries including Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, and Uzbekistan are constructing new digital education spaces with the assistance of UNESCO-ICHEl and private partners. The Smart Classroom Project will also be implemented in 40 developing countries across Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbeans. More private enterprises, such as Kingsoft Office and KMAX, are participating in the Smart Classroom Project to provide hardware and software support, contributing to the exploration and innovation of Artificial Intelligence (Al), VR, and other smart Ed-Tech for universities in developing countries.

With a collaborative mechanism reflecting principles of "co-consultation, co-development, and co-sharing", the multi-national and cross-sectoral effort of the Smart Classroom Project will present infinite possibilities for the higher education future.