mSchools Are Training Catalan Students For The Mobile Future

GSMA, the global alliance of mobile operators, has formed a new partnership with the Generalitat de Catalunya to launch the “mSchools” program developed by Mobile World Capital Barcelona.  mSchools is the next evolution of the mEducation program these organizations collaborated on last year to reduce dropout rates and prepare Catalan students for a career in the digital world.

According to a joint report by GSMA and McKinsey, “Transforming Learning Through mEducation”, mobile education will explode into a $70 billion market by 2020.  By partnering with global organizations like GSMA, Catalan students can benefit from global knowledge, experience and shared best practices to prosper in the mobile-driven economy.

“While dealing with the continued impact of the global economic crisis and educational systems that were designed to address the needs of students in the pre-digital era, educators are being asked to deliver more with far less,” said Anne Bouverot, Director General of the GSMA. “Mobilecan help change this dynamic. Mobileenables access to up-to-date materials, improves collaboration and strengthens learner engagement, opening up new ways of teaching and learning that improve achievement and employability. We are pleased to be joining with the Generalitat de Catalunya to bring the power of mEducation to students in the Mobile World Capital.” 

The mSchools program consists of several elements:
App Education, a computer science elective offered in Catalan high schools focused on application design and prototype development.
Supporting Entrepreneurship in mEducation program designed to assist entrepreneurs and support mEducation.
Mobile Learning Awards, by the Generalitat de Catalunya recognizing the key role of mobile technology in education by Catalan schools, honoring innovative professors and student projects.
Mobile History Map, a pilot geo-positioning app allowing students to collaboratively create or edit content on points of interest within one kilometer of their school.

GSMA will contribute €500,000 per year through 2018, to fund the technology, resources and the delivery and management of the program. Further, the GSMA will leverage experience gained from mSchools deployments around the world to implement global best practices with educators and administrators participating in the initiative.

The program is incorporating key private institutions as well including the participation of A Crowd of Monsters, Barcelona Loves Entrepreneurs, Incubio, King, Social Point and Softonic, who will support the App Education course with their expert staff.  In addition, global operators Telefónica,Orange and Vodafone will also provide support for the mSchools program inCatalonia.

“The GSMA is very proud to be partnering with the Mobile World Capital, leading mobile operators and the private sector to help create an educational environment that will enable young people throughoutBarcelona,CataloniaandSpainto build important new skills that will prepare them for new opportunities in the future,” added Bouverot.