Atorud Shodibekzoda

Education Technology Officer - UNICEF, Tajikistan

Mr Atorud Shodibekzoda is an expert in the field of educational technology. Currently, he serves as the Education Technology Officer for the UNICEF Tajikistan Country Office (TCO). He has been in this position for 5 years and holds a Master’s degree in Automated Systems of Information Processing and Management, as well as being awarded the qualification of a systems engineer from Tajik Technical University.

Atorud is responsible for leading the digital transformation of UNICEF TCO in the education sector. This includes supporting the development and implementation of policies, strategies, roadmaps, and programmes aligned with the national priorities and SDGs. He is also responsible for overseeing all edtech projects and initiatives to support UNICEF’s digital transformation objectives: addressing the digital divide, flexible learning pathways; harnessing edtech for improved learning outcomes and developing quality digital learning platforms and content; strengthened edtech governance and system resilience in general secondary education institutions to enhance the centrality of children, adolescents, and youth of Tajikistan.

He collaborates with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan (MoES), its key affiliated institutions, such as the Republican Center for Information Technology and Communication (RCITC), the Republican In-Service Teacher Training Institute (RITTI) to leverage technology to improve learning outcomes and build capacity at all levels. He also partners with private sector companies, international financial institutions (IFIs), UN sister agencies, international and non-governmental organisations to support the transition to digital education.

Current major projects in his portfolio: Assistance for education stakeholders to embed technology in education systems; Support for advocating the UNICEF-ITU Global Giga initiative; Developing mechanisms for distance learning and skill acquisition; Strengthening MoES capacity in education operations and distance learning; Establishing servers and video conference infrastructure at MoES national and sub-national levels; Implementing education management systems (EMIS).

Atorud focuses on improving infrastructure and connectivity; standardizing equipment use; digital platforms and content; enhancing digital competencies; supporting in funding mobilisation. Atorud believes that the Fellowship will enable him to learn and contribute to the full potential of educational technology to enhance learning environments and outcomes for Tajik children and young people.