By Adesina Wahab with agency report

The importance of Artificial Intelligence, AI, in almost every sector in today’s world cannot be over-emphasised, the education sector inclusive. The World Bank, in a publication on Education for Global Development, examines the mindsets necessary to build digital and AI-empowered education systems.

Amidst a global learning and skills crisis, and rapid digital advancements, existing inequalities and exclusion are being exacerbated by an ever-widening digital divide. This is significantly impacting education systems and student outcomes worldwide, with poor and marginalised groups being the most adversely affected.

Education and skills development systems in a rapidly changing world

Education and skills development systems play a pivotal role to advance labour market outcomes, economic growth across sectors and intergenerational social mobility. According to a 2019 International Labour Organisation study based on a review of government policy and legislation from 65 countries in four regions, education and training measures account for 40% to 60% of youth employment policy interventions. As digital and AI tools bring new and enhanced forms of work, education and training interventions must enable digital transitions of economies across sectors by preparing and supplying skilled human resources in a rapidly changing labour market.

Simultaneously, education systems need to evolve as digitally-enabled ‘learning organisations’ that can adapt and deliver relevant, equitable and resilient learning opportunities for all students through continuous improvement. Education systems need to be both rapid producers and avid consumers of digital and data competencies at scale, while placing people at the heart of these transitions.

In doing so, it is essential to remind ourselves of the first principles of learning. Decades of established research shows that learning, at its core, occurs through human interactions between learners and teachers, mediated by the learning environment (physical and digital), and other contextual factors. Teachers are and will remain central to how humans learn well. Thus, it is critically important to recognise and support teachers to strengthen and advance their competencies as cultivators, coaches and critical pedagogies.

Three mindset shifts for effecting change

In this context, it is necessary for actors in the education and skills development sector to assimilate three mindset shifts to lead digital transitions proactively, strategically, and with an evidence-based approach. A new World Bank report, Digital Pathways for Education: Enabling Greater Impact for All, highlights three key mindset shifts that are crucial for decisionmakers and practitioners in government, industry, academia and civil society to consider, to successfully push forward, systemic change.

1. Systemic, fit-for-purpose approach: Shift from short-term, ad hoc digital interventions to more systemic strategies focused on learning and skills development. A systems approach would entail using proactive public policy measures combined with meaningful market and civil society partnerships to enable effective innovations for scale. This requires strong and robust innovation ecosystems and private markets that are incentivized and supported to deliver contextualized, high-quality, and cost-effective educational products. At the same time, establishing and enforcing a regulatory framework that promotes equitable, high-quality education and skills development and encourages fair and healthy competition, is essential.

2. Integrated digital cores: Move beyond fragmented digital tools (frills) and invest in comprehensive and integrated digital systems (cores) that improve education administration and management, as well as teaching and learning. When digital solutions are embedded and integrated in a coherent way across strategic governance, data and technology infrastructure, policy design, and implementation, it is likely to ensure inclusion, security, privacy, and high-quality standards for all.

3. Education-centered approach: Shift from techno-centric views of education to approaches that prioritise learning, skills, and educational outcomes. The technologies and learning contexts interact with the characteristics of the student and the teacher. Together, these shape the students’ experience, and their outcomes. Hence there is a need for educators, researchers, technologists and app developers to be involved in the evidence-based design, testing and implementation of digitally enabled education products and services.