Global education systems face a number of huge challenges, including questions on how to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. This report, ‘Teaching knowledge for the future: Global engagement, sustainability and digital skills present the challenges and main trends for teaching and schools, and sets out ambitious proposals to improve educational standards to ensure that learning meets the needs of all students, regardless of their background.
The report was used as a basis for launching discussions on the state of global education at the International Summit on the Teaching Profession held in Washington D.C. in April 2023, where the US Department of Education, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Education International brought together education ministers, trade union leaders and other teachers’ leaders to better support the teaching profession to respond to the major challenges of 21st century education. Topics discussed included the future of learning and ways to radically restore the functioning of education systems in the coming decades; exploring how to attract and support the development of high-quality teachers and teaching practices in the era of digitalisation; and how to support the teaching of global skills in schools and how to promote fair and inclusive learning environments for all. In particular:
- The first session of the summit examined how to improve the teaching profession. Some countries face severe teacher shortages, while in others the teaching profession continues to be an attractive professional choice. These differences in conjunctions are not simply explained by teachers’ salaries or material conditions, and the Summit was a promising space for mutual learning and political dialogue.
- The second session looked at how to educate global and cultural competences as well as civic engagement. For many countries, this has become a major problem to ensure that students are better prepared to enter an interconnected world and to counter growing economic, social, political and cultural polarisation.
- The third session explored ways to mobilise digital technologies to ensure equitable access and improved learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally transformed learning, forcing schools around the world to find alternatives to face-to-face training, working with the digital world. The summit provided an opportunity to explore how countries are moving towards reconciling potential opportunities and risks of digital technologies with the social and relational nature of learning.