Education systems today stand at a turning point. With less than five years remaining to achieve SDG 4, the global picture is sobering: 272 million children are still out of school,1 only 58% of learners reach minimum reading proficiency,2 and an annual USD 97 billion financing gap3 threatens progress at a time when global aid to education is projected to decline by 25% by 2027.4 The world will need 44 million additional teachers by 2030,5 while 650 million young people still lack secondary education certificates.6 Additionally, employers are reporting the worst talent shortages in 17 years, even as learners struggle to access labour markets.7 While the world has engaged in fast digital transition, approximately a third of the world’s population (2.6 billion people) remain offline,8 the transformative potential of AI and digital transformation to reduce, rather than enhance, pre-existing socio-economic disparities cannot be taken for granted.
Yet, in the face of this stark reality, the opportunities before us are equally transformative: 110 million more learners have entered school since 2015,9 AI adoption in classrooms has surged,10 workers with digital skills can access higher earnings,11 and since 2020 the Global Education Coalition has been actively engaged in supporting digital transformation of education, initially responding to COVID crisis and fast tracking the achievement of SDG4.
Against this backdrop, the Global Education Coalition (GEC) brings together more than 240 members to align expertise, resources and innovation in support of sustainable, inclusive, equitable, and country-led digital transformation. It has become an established platform where multilateral actors, private partners, civil society, academia, and networks work together to ensure that digital education benefits all learners while respecting the ecological boundaries that widespread technology use increasingly tests. By working collectively, the Coalition has become a catalyst for stronger national education systems, helping to bridge the digital divide, empower teachers and expand skills opportunities.
The Coalition’s flagship missions: the Global Teacher Campus, Global Skills Academy, Gender Equality Flagship, and Global Learning House have evolved into vehicles for demand-driven action, connecting global expertise to local needs in close collaboration with UNESCO Member States and GEC mission partners. Complementing these efforts, the Digital Transformation Collaborative has equipped governments with practical tools to embed digital transformation within national education strategies, budgets, and coordination mechanisms.
Born as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, when digital divides across and throughout countries were starkly exposed, the Coalition has seen firsthand how digital transformation can exacerbate inequality. Digital education must be a tool for inclusion, not for widening divides.
Accordingly, this year’s Annual Meeting will explore how collective in-kind and financial investments in digital transformation can generate tangible social and economic returns. The programme will begin on 23 March with a dedicated Engagement Day, featuring parallel streams of capacity building led by the Digital Transformation Collaborative and the Global EdTech Alliance of Alliances. These sessions are designed to deepen system-level understanding of digital transformation and frame the strategic dialogues of the Global Education Coalition’s Sixth Annual Meeting.
Building on this foundation, on 24 March the Global Education Coalition Annual Meeting will provide a high-level space to continue the conversation through a mix of high-level dialogues, evidence-driven debates, and interactive workshops, enabling participants to examine how to strengthen financing, partnerships, and knowledge systems, preparing learners for an AI-enabled future.
Attendance at this event is moderated. The organizers will need to confirm your registration.
La participation à cet événement est modérée. Les organisateurs devront confirmer votre inscription.
