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Explore a wide range of valuable resources on GCED to deepen your understanding and enhance your research, advocacy, teaching, and learning.
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[Summary] Global Education Monitoring Report Summary 2023: Technology in Education; A Tool on whose Terms? Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team Technology’s role in education has been sparking intense debate for a long time. Does it democratize knowledge or threaten democracy by allowing a select few to control information? Does it offer boundless opportunities or lead towards a technology-dependent future with no return? Does it level the playing field or exacerbate inequality? Should it be used in teaching young children or is there a risk to their development? The debate has been fuelled by the COVID-19 school closures and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. But as developers are often a step ahead of decision makers, research on education technology is complex. Robust, impartial evidence is scarce. Are societies even asking the right questions about education before turning to technology as a solution? Are they recognizing its risks as they seek out its benefits? Information and communication technology has potential to support equity and inclusion in terms of reaching disadvantaged learners and diffusing more knowledge in engaging and affordable formats. In certain contexts, and for some types of learning, it can improve the quality of teaching and learning basic skills. In any case, digital skills have become part of a basic skills package. Digital technology can also support management and increase efficiency, helping handle bigger volumes of education data. But technology can also exclude and be irrelevant and burdensome, if not outright harmful. Governments need to ensure the right conditions to enable equitable access to education for all, to regulate technology use so as to protect learners from its negative influences, and to prepare teachers. This report recommends that technology should be introduced into education on the basis of evidence showing that it would be appropriate, equitable, scalable and sustainable. In other words, its use should be in learners’ best interests and should complement face-to-face interaction with teachers. It should be seen as a tool to be used on these terms. Midway to the deadline, the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report assesses the distance still to go to reach the 2030 education targets. Education is the key to unlocking the achievement of other development objectives, not least the goal of technological progress. 
A New Social Contract for Education: Advancing a Paradigm of Relational Interconnectedness Year of publication: 2023 Author: Elena Toukan Corporate author: UNESCO This paper looks at recent calls for “a new social contract for education” through the lens of a relational ontology for humanity and a living planet. Through a critical view of social contract theory, the paper looks at how this call can be an entry point to a deeper paradigmatic shift in framing questions of justice, social organization, and education itself. It proposes a shift from a rules-based transactional model to a relationship-based model grounded in understanding and appreciation of interdependence and interconnectedness. In order to shape more just and sustainable futures for humanity and the planet, a new social contract for education will need to transcend atomistic, transactional, and adversarial social dynamics and instead be organized around relational interconnectedness. 
Reporting on Artificial Intelligence: A Handbook for Journalism Educators Year of publication: 2023 Author: Maarit Jaakkola Corporate author: UNESCO The rise and control of artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting society as a whole. It follows that AI coverage must inform audiences about the implication of the technology itself, beyond journalism. For instance, reporting on the power dynamics in the changing relationship between companies, authorities, citizens and computer chips, and between data and algorithms. While many AI deployments serve public interest, journalists also need insight and expertise to alert about aspects like exclusions, unequal benefits, and violations of human rights. As part of its journalism education series, UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) has supported the World Journalism Education Council in commissioning this handbook. The aim is to inspire and empower so that journalism educators can help both journalism students and working journalists do justice to one of the major issues of our times. The handbook covers:• Understanding machine intelligence and identifying different types of AI• Exploring AI’s potential, as well as its strengths and weaknesses• Imagining diverse futures with AI by recognising pervasive popular narratives that inform public consciousness• Understanding journalism’s role in mediating and shaping AI discourse• Finding ways of reporting about AI in a nuanced, realistic and accountable manner• Making connections to existing genres of journalism, ranging from general news reporting to data journalism. Strengthening journalism education is one of the key results sought by IPDC, a unique intergovernmental programme within the UN system that specializes in media development. 
Education in a Post-COVID World: Nine Ideas for Public Action Year of publication: 2020 Corporate author: UNESCO Decisions made today in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic will have longterm consequences for the futures of education. In this report the International Commission on the Futures of Education presents nine key ideas for navigating through the COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath, contending that we must build on core principles and known strengths as we face unprecedented disruption to economies, societies and education systems. In the renewal and reimaging of education human interaction and wellbeing must be given priority. This must also be accompanied by a commitment to global solidarity that does not accept the levels of inequality that have been permitted to emerge in the contemporary world 
Transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Successful and Just Transitions: UNESCO Strategy 2022–2029 Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: UNESCO This strategy covering 2022 to 2029 guides UNESCO to promote skills development for empowerment, productive employment and decent work, and facilitate the transition to more digital, green and inclusive economies and societies. In alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Education 2030 Agenda, and the recommendations of the Transforming Education Summit, UNESCO will support the transformation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in all Member States and will work alongside bilateral and multilateral partners, institutions, governments, the private sector and educators from all over the world to put TVET at the top of the education agenda. It is evident that collective efforts must be met to equip youth and adults in acquiring new skills, helping them unlock their potential to successfully navigate the social, economic, and environmental changes which the world is undergoing. 
Guidance for Generative AI in Education and Research Year of publication: 2023 Author: Fengchun Miao | Wayne Holmes Corporate author: UNESCO This Guidance aims to support the planning of appropriate regulations, policies and human capacity development programmes to ensure that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes a tool that genuinely benefits and empowers teachers, learners and researchers. It explains the Al techniques used by GenAI and maps out a list of GPT models that are made publicly available, especially those under open-source licences. It also opens a discussion on the emergence of EdGPT - GenAI models that are trained with specific data to serve educational purposes. Furthermore, it summarizes some of the key controversies around GenAI, from worsening digital poverty to the homogenization of opinions, and from deeper deepfakes to issues of copyright. Based on a humanistic vision, the Guidance proposes key steps for the regulation of GenAI tools, including mandating the protection of data privacy and setting an age limit for independent conversations with GenAI platforms. To guide the proper use of the tools in education and research, this Guidance proposes a human-agent and age-appropriate approach to the ethical validation and pedagogical design processes. 
Water and Climate Change: Coursebook Year of publication: 2020 Corporate author: UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) is UN-Water’s flagship report on water and sanitation issues, focusing on a different theme each year. The report is published by UNESCO, on behalf of UN-Water and its production is coordinated by the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme. The report gives insight on main trends concerning the state, use and management of freshwater and sanitation, based on work done by the Members and Partners of UN-Water. Launched in conjunction with World Water Day, the report provides decision-makers with knowledge and tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies. It also offers best practices and in-depth analyses to stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water sector and beyond.The 2020 edition of the WWDR, titled ‘Water and Climate Change’ illustrates the critical linkages between water and climate change in the context of the broader sustainable development agenda. Supported by examples from across the world, it describes both the challenges and opportunities created by climate change, and provides potential responses – in terms of adaptation, mitigation and improved resilience – that can be undertaken by enhancing water resources management, attenuating water-related risks, and improving access to water supply and sanitation services for all in a sustainable manner. It addresses the interrelations between water, people, environment and economics in a changing climate, demonstrating how climate change can be a positive catalyst for improved water management, governance and financing to achieve a sustainable and prosperous world for all.The report provides a fact-based, water-focused contribution to the knowledge base on climate change. It is complementary to existing scientific assessments and designed to support international political frameworks, with the goals of helping the water community tackle the challenges of climate change, and informing the climate change community about the opportunities that improved water management offers in terms of adaptation and mitigation. 
Eduaction in the Age of Articial Intelligence (The UNESCO Courier no. 4, October-December 2023) Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO At a time when the field of education is in worldwide ferment, a single instructional phenomenon has captured the attention not only of professionals but of laymen.” Does the innovation in question refer to artificial intelligence (AI), or to the use of augmented reality in the classroom? Neither one. This quote is from an article in The UNESCO Courier about “teaching machines”, a set of programmes developed in the USA to guide students in their learning. It dates back to… March 1965. Which just goes to show that pondering the role of computers in learning is nothing new. Whether lauded or decried, technologies are increasingly part of the school landscape, at least in industrialized countries. Digital learning games, online tutorials or massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become a reality for a growing number of pupils and students. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the phenomenon, spurring the rise, including in Africa, of companies specializing in digital educational services, the so-called “edtechs”. Yet no matter how sophisticated these technologies may be, they have not challenged the founding principle of a teacher giving a class simultaneously to a group of students. Artificial intelligence could be a game-changer. Does the arrival of content-generating tools like ChatGPT and intelligent tutorials mean the oft-heralded revolution has started? In any case, the use of generative AI in learning presents unprecedented challenges to education systems. As UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report 2023 highlights, these new tools can prove invaluable in providing personalized support for students, particularly those with disabilities or living in remote areas. But they also raise questions about the digital divide, data confidentiality and the preponderance of major global corporations in this sector. And for the moment, safeguards are lacking. It is therefore urgent that regulations be adopted to ensure the use of AI in education remains human-centred, in the best interests of students. To support this, UNESCO published in September 2023 the first-ever Guidance for generative AI in education and research, designed to address the disruptions caused by these technologies. It complements other tools produced by the Organization, including the Recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence and a guidance for policy-makers on AI and education, both published in 2021. 
World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education: Tashkent Declaration and Commitments to Action for Transforming Early Childhood Care and Education, 16 November 2022 Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: UNESCO From 14 to 16 November 2022, the second World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Over 2,600 conference participants from 147 Member States, including ministers, development partners, practitioners, scientists, civil society, and private organizations, came together to reaffirm the right of every young child to quality early childhood development, care, and education. The Tashkent Declaration and Commitments to Action for Transforming Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) sets out the guiding principles and strategies for the urgent transformation of ECCE for accelerating achievement of SDG Target 4.2, and concrete actions for Member States, the international community, non-governmental organizations, and UNESCO to be regularly monitored, reviewed, and evaluated. 
Global Education Monitoring Report 2019: Gender Report: Building Bridges for Gender Equality Year of publication: 2019 Corporate author: Global Education Monitoring Report Team Achieving gender equality in education participation, in the teaching and learning process and in access to social and economic opportunities that education can facilitate are key interlinked ambitions in two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: SDG 4 on education and SDG 5 on gender equality. These aims are also key to the Education 2030 Framework for Action, which calls on countries to adopt strategies that not only cover access to education for all but also address substantive gender equality issues: ‘supporting gender-sensitive policies, planning and learning environments; mainstreaming gender issues in teacher training and curricula; and eliminating gender-based discrimination and violence in schools’. The 2019 Gender Report is based on a monitoring framework first introduced in the 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report.In addition to focusing on gender parity in education participation, attainment and learning achievement, the framework examines broad social and economic contexts (gender norms and institutions) and key education system characteristics (laws and policies, teaching and learning practices, learning environments, and resources). The framework also looks at the relationship between education and selected social and economic outcomes. For instance, a move towards parity in education attainment may increase women’s labour force participation rates, but low levels of labour force participation feed into existing norms and may constrain expansion of education opportunities for women.