Bhutan becomes latest country to benefit from FIFA Foundation’s groundbreaking Digital Education Programme

• Bhutanese schoolchildren will benefit from learning essential life skills, supported by computer science and robotics
• Joint initiative between the Ministry of Education and Skills Development of Bhutan, the Bhutan Football Federation and FIFA Foundation
• The programme is already underway in Belize, Mauritania and Paraguay

 Children in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan will have greater opportunities to explore innovative ways of learning through hands-on activities using technology, programming, and robotics after it was announced that the FIFA Foundation’s Digital Education Programme will be launched in the country.

Via an online ceremony, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Tshewang C Dorji, Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Skills Development of Bhutan; Ugyen Wangchuk, General Secretary of the Bhutan Football Federation; and the FIFA Foundation Executive Chairman, Mauricio Macri.

“Football, technology and education are intrinsically connected and being able to harness the global appeal of football to help young people in Bhutan learn important skills that could one day help them pursue a career in this exciting field is a natural partnership for the FIFA Foundation,” said Mr Macri.

“As we have already seen in South America, Central America and Africa, the Digital Education Programme not only attracts and motivates students to learn, but it also provides them with the tools and skills to thrive in the future. Today, we are delighted to launch in Asia and look forward to seeing the results over the coming years.”

The Digital Education Programme is one of many ways in which the FIFA Foundation uses football to generate a positive social impact through football.

Previously launched in Belize, Mauritania and Paraguay, the programme brings football and technology into classrooms, providing teachers with practical tools and hands-on activities to make everyday lessons more engaging and meaningful.

Over the next three years, the groundbreaking programme will be rolled out in ever primary school across the country – more than 400 in total – and over 77,000 students will eventually benefit.

This will be facilitated by leveraging the country’s existing digital infrastructure and strong national vision for digital education, supported by an investment from the World Football Remission Fund, which is under the auspices of the FIFA Foundation.

The investment will focus on supplying robotics kits to all schools, providing teacher training and accompaniment, and supporting the three-year implementation across the country.

The aim is to promote digital skills and foster computational thinking, creativity, collaborative work and problem-solving amongst pupils living in a vulnerable context.