‘Keys to narrowing the education gaps’ (free download)

The innovation gap and the lack of digital skills are some of the major educational challenges identified by the enlightED report. The conclusions of this publication are the joint reflection of more than 147 world thinkers who discussed the challenges and opportunities for the education sector in the digital age at the latest edition of enlightED 2021. Vinton Cerf, Daniel Goleman, Howard Gardner, Kiran Bir Sethi, Hadi Partovi, Dean Kamen, Wendy Kopp and Olli-Pekka Heinonen are some of the people who participated in the report, drawing practical conclusions on the great educational debate.

enlightED, the global conference on education, technology and innovation, organised by Fundación Telefónica, IE University and South Summit, will hold its 5th edition in an on-site format on 16 and 17 November. Since its creation in 2018, this forum has brought together more than two million viewers from 46 countries and 300 international speakers, consolidating itself as a world leader in the field of training, innovation and technology.

Three keys to bridging education divides in the digital age

The report is structured around these three major educational challenges and 17 key issues:

• Bridging the innovation gap in education.
• Addressing skills shortages in relation to new societal needs.
• Addressing the lack of digital skills to connect with young people and seek positive change.

Based on these three main axes, some of the most revealing conclusions related to the impact of technology on the future of work, the role of artificial intelligence in education, teacher training in digital skills, and the education gap in low- and middle-income countries have been revealed.

How to solve these challenges

The future of work calls for a change in the school curriculum in which Problem-based learning will be key to mastering new technologies. This new teaching must focus on creativity, collaboration and problem solving. According to expert analysis, students who learn computer science in secondary school are not only 17% more likely to enter university, but they are also better at problem solving.

Students who learn computer science in secondary school are better at problem solving.

On the role of artificial intelligence in education, at enlightED, three levels were drawn on which AI should pivot:

1. It should be an educational tool for teachers to use to support their lessons.
2. AI must be studied to understand and know how to create it. It is a technology that is gradually dominating different sectors and should be incorporated into our lives as a matter of course.
3. We must focus on the nexus of the two previous levels: We need to prepare ourselves to live in a world increasingly dominated by AI.

Teachers also need to be trained in digital skills. Experts also stress the importance of training teachers in digital skills. In this sense, the importance of implementing technology education at an early age has been addressed. Just as education in different areas has been introduced into children’s storytelling, technology demands the same.

How do we prepare for the jobs of the future?

We have to change the current environment and also transfer it to the active society. Young people should have the opportunity to study full-time and we must provide them with the right pathways to enable learners to enter and exit the world of work. Societies must eliminate the need to have a degree to access many jobs and must also abolish the requirement of years of experience for essential workers.

Technology skills will drive people into new jobs, but it is soft skills that will make the difference.