Co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay and Ceibal Foundation, the global launch of the “2023 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report: Technology in education: A tool on whose terms?” took place on 26-27 July, 2023 in Montevideo, Uruguay with 15 ministers of education from around the world. This event promoted a high-level dialogue around the opportunities and challenges for the use of technology in education, and the conditions that need to be met for technology to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on education.
The high-level opening commenced with speeches by UNESCO’s Director General, Audrey Azoulay and His Excellency Pablo da Silveira, Minister of Education and Culture of Uruguay, followed by a presentation of the key findings of the 2023 GEM Report by its Director, Manos Antoninis.
The 2023 GEM Report highlights the lack of appropriate governance and regulation. It proposes four questions that policy makers and educational stakeholders should reflect upon as technology is being deployed in education. These include excessive or deficient use of technology in education, the equitable access to electricity for students worldwide especially for the most marginalized, the long-term costs of technology purchases needed for a full digital transformation of education, and lack of appropriate training programmes regarding cybersecurity for teachers. The report therefore recommends that technology should be introduced into education on the basis of evidence showing that it would be appropriate, equitable, scalable and sustainable. Countries are urged to set their own terms for the way technology is designed and used in education so that it never replaces in-person, teacher-led instruction, and supports the shared objective of quality education for all.
Read the report: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000385723
View from the Chair
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform education with innovative methods for learning, teaching, administration, and assessment, going beyond SDG 4.
The 2023 GEM report on technology in education emphasizes the crucial importance of prioritizing learner needs and ensuring appropriate, equitable, evidence-based, and sustainable application of technology in education.
The UNESCO Chair on AI in Education is dedicated to promoting an integrated system of research, training, information, and best practices on AI in education.
We advocate for harnessing the power of AI in education to promote inclusive and equitable quality education, as well as enhance lifelong learning opportunities for all.