The Summit for the Transformation of Education, which was held in New York from September 16 to 19, called on the countries gathered at the United Nations General Assembly and members of the educational communities to transform education to avoid a global learning crisis. Is technology the solution the world needs?
Rarely has education experienced such an important moment as the one it is experiencing today. Perhaps the last time it was given such a prominent role on the agendas of global leaders was in May 2015, when 1,600 participants from 160 countries, including 120 ministers, met in the Republic of Korea and approved the Incheon Declaration for Education 2030. This document established the roadmap for the global education agenda for 15 years, calling on all countries to ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
It was there that the UNESCO World Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) was mandated by 160 governments to monitor and report on the progress of education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and especially SDG 4, the global goal for education. Also, support the implementation of national and international strategies so that partners are accountable for their commitments.
Despite these commitments, we are far from achieving inclusive, equitable and quality education for all. Recent estimates from the GEM Report and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics confirm that 244 million boys and girls are still out of school, while 147 million students have lost more than half of their face-to-face learning since 2020. Although the covid-19 pandemic prompted innovations unprecedented and helped many countries reimagine their education systems, it also exposed the digital divide within and between countries. How to transform learning with a digital revolution when more than two-thirds of school-age students do not have access to the internet at home?
With the pandemic, the need to accelerate the use of technology in education became evident. The closure of schools forced governments to resort to distance learning so as not to interrupt learning. In the countries with the most limited resources, radio and television programs were used, tools that these countries had traditionally used to reach the most remote populations. Mobile phones and online learning platforms emerged as alternatives and actors multiplied around the world proposing tools, platforms and programs at the service of teaching.
Properly harnessed, the digital revolution could be one of the most powerful tools to ensure quality education for all.
However, the pandemic quickly demonstrated that having access to devices and a fast and stable internet connection was not enough. Without teacher training programs and without innovative teaching-learning methodologies that accompany the mastery of basic and digital skills, there can be no true educational transformation. Connectivity is an essential condition, but it is not enough.
Can learning be revolutionized with the use of technology? If harnessed properly, the digital revolution could be one of the most powerful tools to ensure quality education for all, transforming the way teachers teach and students learn. But if not, it could exacerbate inequalities and undermine learning outcomes, as happened in some countries during the pandemic. This idea, which serves as the cornerstone of the next GEM Report on technology and education, was also reflected in the statement of the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, at the end of the Summit on the Transformation of Education held in September.
The UNESCO World Education Monitoring Report 2023 on technology and education, which will be published in July 2023, will address two central issues: what educational problems can be solved with the use of technology? And what conditions must be met for technology to be at the service of teaching? The report suggests that instead of taking technology as a starting point, as is often the case, we should focus on the kind of training we want and the main challenges we face in getting it. The 2030 Agenda and the commitments agreed upon during the Summit give us a vision, the question is how to take action. This requires alliances and the collaboration of various actors, including representatives of the private sector, multilateral, international and regional organizations, as well as members of the educational communities.
If we want to make a real difference in the lives of millions of children through digital education, we must work together and find innovative solutions. For this, it is essential to put technology at the service of teaching and not the other way around. We must recognize that it takes much more than devices and connectivity to bring about positive change in education systems and to work with teachers, parents, students and leaders to transform training and learning processes. Finally, we need evidence and data to make the right decisions in digital education that generate a positive impact on the development of the younger generations.
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