The COVID-19 pandemic brought forth educational transformation overnight, resulting in increased digitalization and the rise of online and hybrid learning. It also brought on challenges such as inequity in access to education and learning loss.

The “Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum on the Future of Education” will be convened on 24-26 May 2023, via video conference, to discuss inclusive recovery from the challenges brought on by the pandemic and explore steps to invest in the future of education. The ASEAN Secretariat will host the forum virtually, as it will shape the Future of Education Flagship Reports and Policy Briefs, which will include future-oriented insights, recommendations, and pathways for the transformation of education toward attaining ASEAN Education 2050.

The ASEAN Regional Forum on the Future of Education” will discuss 3 thematic areas: 

• Transforming Education Agendas: Building the Future We Want
• Teacher Development: Innovations and Best Practices for the Future of Education and Beyond
• Inclusive ASEAN 2050: Building Equitable Societies and Learning Cities

On 25th May, the session entitled "THE FUTURE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING" will be led by the Teacher Development Chief of Section and the Head of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 Secretariat M. Carlos Vargas, as he will present the impacts of the developments in the educational technologies brought about by the 4th industrial revolution on the future of education in the region. Teacher education experts on ICT will be invited to define the connection between learning, teaching, new education goals, and employability. 

For more information and to register, visit the official website of the conference.

The Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) organizes the 10th International Conference & 12th Roundtable which will be hosted by the Ministry of Education, Art and Culture, Republic of Namibia, and Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU).

During the Ministerial Session on May 9, the 'Supporting teachers through policy development – lessons from sub-Saharan Africa' will be launched. Based on the experiences of nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the new report by UNESCO and the Teacher Task Force provides an overview on the use of the Teacher Policy Development Guide to develop teacher policies, to improve the effective organization and management of the teacher workforce to ensure countries can deliver on the promise of quality education.

The session will also illustrate that teachers should be at the core of teacher policy development based on a collaborative framework, including the important role of social dialogue. It will also provide a number of key findings and recommendations for national governments and development partners to consider in current and future teacher policy development efforts.

SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR H.E. Hage Gottfried Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia

CHIEF HOST Hon. Ester Anna Nghipondoka, MP. Minister of Education, Art and Culture, Namibia

CO-HOST Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU)

For more information and to consult the full agenda, please visit the official conference website.

We are pleased to announce the open Call for Applications and Nominations for the 2023 edition of the Global Teacher Prize, which will be awarded this year, at a side event, during UNESCO’s General Conference.

Launched in 2014, during the second edition of the Global Education and Skills Forum, in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), the Prize is funded and organized by the Varkey Foundation, in collaboration with UNESCO, and in strategic partnership with Dubai Cares.

By aiming to highlight the central role of educators in all parts of the world, as well as the importance of acknowledging and valuing teachers’ impact on their students and on their communities, the Prize will reward an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession. As a result, the selected laureate is presented with a US $1 million award.

Candidates must be currently working as teachers of school-aged children, spend at least ten hours per week teaching face-to-face, and plan to remain in the teaching profession for the next five years.

Applications and nominations may be submitted after registration in the dedicated awards platform 

Candidates will be evaluated by a prominent Global Teacher Prize Academy, composed of various civil society members, including head-teachers, educational experts, commentators, journalists, public officials, tech entrepreneurs, company directors and scientists, from different parts of the world.

• The required criteria for eligibility may be consulted here
• Contact: Ms Nicole Lui (nicole.lui@varkeyfoundation.org), Executive Director at the Varkey Foundation

Across the world, COVID-19-induced school closures severely disrupted learning, disproportionally affecting those from more disadvantaged backgrounds. At the same time, continuous professional development (CPD) educators shifted to remote and online delivery. Yet often, these educators were not well prepared for this.

Despite these challenges, many educators and policy-makers have increased awareness about the potential of remote and online education to increase access and quality. Blended CPD, defined as a pedagogically sound combination of in-person and online modalities, may combine the best of both worlds. 

In this session, three case studies will illustrate the value of blended CPD trajectories for educators:

• VSO describes how principles of universal design for learning were applied in a blended CPD offering to early childhood education and care educators in Bangladesh;
• VVOB describes how technology was used in a blended CPD trajectory for mentor teachers in basic education in Rwanda, to keep them motivated and engaged;
• Aga Khan Foundation reflects on how the Aga Khan Foundation’s Learning Hub has been created as a cost-effective online CPD platform reaching 6,400+ users around the world.
• EdTech Hub reflects on the three case studies drawing on cross-cutting themes, including diversity, gender, and inclusion; motivation and engagement; cost-effectiveness, scalability, and sustainability.

More information here.

CIES 2023 - Improving Education for a More Equitable World

Comparative and international perspectives are essential to fulfilling the dream of educational equity. The CIES 2023 Annual Meeting will explore the following crucial questions: how should we critically look at and meet desired outcomes across time and space? What changes can bring about responsible and sustainable advancement in learning, teaching, and schooling? What implications may these changes have on individual systems, contexts, and the already vulnerable planet? And how may our endeavors help redefine comparative and international education in a way that reconnects it with contextualized educational policy and practice?