“Education is the greatest gift for children”

When UNICEF India Representative Cynthia McCaffrey says that education is the greatest gift we can give our children, she believes that we can give them a bright, successful and meaningful future. This means no more ignorant children, they lead meaningful lives and are not dependent on others. An advocate of basic child rights and the fact that education is the most important source of social progress, McCaffrey believes that the times we live in are promising and that digital literacy in today’s education is as necessary as creating a learning and activity environment. In this chat, she talks about a range of topics…

What do you particularly emphasize when emphasizing the importance of digitalization?
UNICEF has been in India for 75 years, working with the government, citizens, young people and children. Our foundation is incredible. The world has realised there is a need to invest in young people. The Secretary-General launched Generation Unlimited in 2018 and that was a call to the whole world to focus on young people, be it their skills, their knowledge or the support they need. India has launched YuWaah here with UNICEF and the United Nations and created a public-private platform for youth centres. With YuWaah, we have a table where young people, the private sector, civil society and the government can discuss and understand what young people need. We are now looking at how we can translate the innovations that India has into concrete actions. My Bharat is a digital innovation, a platform that the government has built where young people can come together in one place and look at experiential learning tools. YuWaah, along with the United Nations and the private sector, has created the Passport to Earning and we work with the government across India where one can take training on financial literacy. There are 150 courses on the platform on various skills that you can learn. Our digital platform Passport-to-Earning (P2E) provides free skills training to the youth. Interestingly, Gujarat was one of the first states where we introduced P2E and in the last year over two million youth across India have benefited from it. It is a place to sharpen, improve
and expand your skills and then use them to prepare for your next livelihood.

What is the focus on youth and which age group benefits from it?
The focus is on job-related skills, accounting knowledge and basic computer literacy for people aged 16 to 29 in 23 states of India.

Have you observed in your travels around the country that young people in certain regions benefit from this?
I’ve been in India for almost three years now and one of the key efforts and goals that UNICEF has with the United Nations is to reach those who are hardest to reach. What’s really exciting about India is that the government is investing in young people and their initiatives to reach the whole country. We’re trying to complement that and make sure that the hardest to reach communities, no matter where they’re from or how far they’re from, are finding suitable opportunities. One of the things I’ve seen even traveling as far as Gujarat is that girls want to learn. They want to learn the basic skills and school, understand learning, reading, writing, basic math and accounting, and we’re constantly trying to find a way to reach that last mile. That’s where digitization gets really exciting. But equally important is working with partners, so in everything we do we work with government programs and try to expand those. UNICEF is trying to develop models by working with partners in government, civil society and also in the private sector to find ways in which we can build models, scale them up as much as possible and also make them role models for the world.

Are there any surprising factors regarding youth approach, learning and progress?
I had a lot of expectations from India, but it has exceeded my expectations. I have met many young Indians and seen that if you give young Indians the opportunity to learn and earn money, they will take that opportunity. Young Indians go a step further and share that with their school, families, neighbors and communities.

What were the most exciting highlights of your almost three-year journey through India?
I am happy that we share a history with India and that we have made progress. More children are in school here than ever before. India has achieved gender parity and we are improving the under-five mortality rate. These are all signs of progress. It is not enough for us to simply reach people, we need to provide them with quality education and health services and put in place real and strong child protection, social security and policies. No one is standing still and everyone is learning to make better progress.

When you know and interact with athletes, how do you assess progress in sport? Do you see the equality you are fighting for in this area?
We continually explore how sport can be a valuable tool for empowering young people. UNICEF has a global partnership with the International Cricket Council. When we met in Gujarat and launched CRIIIO 4 Good, which promotes gender equality, it imparted lessons in leadership, teamwork and resilience. The Women’s World Cup will be in India in 2025 and we are really looking forward to engaging and encouraging girls in the game. It’s not just about getting girls on the field, it’s about how girls and boys compete together and see each other as athletes, how they discuss and talk about different strategies on the field. During the semi-final last year, David Beckham was here and I had the opportunity to watch two players (male and female) discussing strategies.

How do you see India’s education system compared to the rest of the world and where is greater commitment needed?
In addition to imparting high-quality basic knowledge, I see progressive work towards ensuring equal opportunities for all, regardless of their origin.

At what age do you think children should be digitally savvy?
In this fast-changing and digitalized world, every child needs access to understand digital media. Because things are changing so quickly, it’s important to know what your child is doing. Digital learning and digital access cannot take up more time for conversation – there needs to be a balance. There needs to be room for activity and play, so there is no prescribed time for digital learning, but you need to find a balance.

Did you come to India with certain impressions and were there any surprises for you?
Before coming here, I was advised by officials to prepare myself for a lot of sounds, noises, smells and tastes. But I didn’t find it all overwhelming at all! On the contrary, I found it captivating and exciting. When I am in Gujarat, be it Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar or Banaskantha, I enjoy the great diversity. There is such a wide variety of tastes, languages, crafts and sights in a single India.

And which festivals did you enjoy the most?
My husband and I loved Diwali and Holi the most. We came to our first Holi party in fancy outfits, only to find that we had to change and get all “colorful”! Families together, potluck and good cheer – we had the best time of our lives at this gathering in our Delhi office. From the kids to the office manager, the colors waved and rested on everyone equally. This is the value of India: the appreciation of community and connections of tradition.