PR95108

PARIS, March 22, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    - New global study calls for policy-makers to re-evaluate education systems

    Governments, education policymakers and senior decision makers need to

recognize that personalised education is an entitlement and a human right for

every learner, states the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for

Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in its new report "Reimagining

Education", released today.

   The new global International Science and Evidence Based Education Assessment

(ISEE) report points towards an education that employs a cognitive-emotional

approach to learning, and for education policymaking to be guided by science

and evidence in the future.

   The Assessment, which commenced in 2019 in Montreal and has been two years

in the making, brought together more than 300 experts from 45 countries

informed by a global consultation process with scientists and specialists from

diverse disciplines such as neuroscience, technology, education, philosophy,

data and evidence, and sustainability.

   Reimagining education in the aftermath of COVID-19

   The report, released at the UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France, comes as the

world grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic that has jeopardized

the chances of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs). Decades of progress in education are also constantly threatened by

conflicts, with the report finding that more than a third (37%) of primary

school-aged refugee children are out of school and only 24% have access to

secondary school education. Access to higher education is a dismal 3% among

refugee populations.

   The Assessment contributes to re-envisioning the future of education to

build more resilient and sustainable education systems that can weather the

current crisis.

   Sir Kevan Collins, Chair of the Youth Endowment Fund, UK and Advisory Board

Member of the ISEE Assessment Report commented, "The ISEE Assessment is a new

contribution to our work on how we reimagine education. We adopted a

multidisciplinary approach to bring together the very best of what we know,

ensuring that we work across a range of opportunities for children. In this

work, we learned that the future belongs to those who continue to learn and

that a whole-brain-centric model is critical if you want to support not only

education, but a flourishing society. A prosperous, sustainable future for our

planet lies so much in the quality of education provided for all our children

and we must continue the debate the Assessment has started."

    Personalised education is a human right

   The report asks governments to realise that personalised education for

continued development is a human right for every learner and calls for

increased investment in education, which must be directed to a

cognitive-emotional whole brain-approach to education.

   The two Co-Chairs of the ISEE Assessment Report, Anantha Duraiappah,

Director, UNESCO MGIEP and Nienke van Atteveldt, Professor, Vrije Universiteit

Amsterdam in a joint statement stated, "Over 80% of teachers, parents and

students want exactly what personalised education - the holy grail of education

- can offer. This is now possible with the support of digital pedagogy and

ethical artificial intelligence. We can make sure that each learner gets the

quality education they are entitled to, work at their own pace and be their own

benchmark to maximize their potentiality for leading a flourishing life. We

must address issues like the fact that 40% of the global population cannot

access education in a language they understand and build a resilient education

system for the future."

   Furthermore, the report advocates for future education policy to be guided

by science and evidence and multidisciplinary dialogue.

   Policy recommendations

   A critical need that the report highlights is for decision makers to

introduce education policies that focus on one's potential and evaluate each

learner's individual learning progress as opposed to focusing on grade or

merit-based assessment and benchmarking learners against each other.

   Furthermore, the report advocates for urgent efforts to be made in

reorganizing education funding to rearrange curricula, pedagogies, research and

learning assessment to focus on cognitive-emotional learning.

   Looking ahead, the report calls on policymakers to invest in

multidisciplinary, large scale, open and inclusive research programmes in

education.

   Madam Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Former Minister of Education, France, said,

"The findings presented in the Assessment will undoubtedly pave the way for

policy and decision-making for future education systems. Now more than ever,

our world needs visions for a future that is more sustainable, resilient, just,

and fair. The unique findings of the ISEE Assessment deliver on this need and

provide robust guidelines for future education policy."

   To attend the virtual launch of the ISEE Assessment at UNESCO HQ in Paris,

from 10am to 12pm CET on Tuesday 22nd March, please visit

https://mgiep.unesco.org/iseea-report-launch. This link also includes details

of how to attend a virtual roundtable discussion at Dubai Expo, from 10am to

12pm GST, on Friday 25th March, where a panel of experts will discuss the

findings of the Assessment.

   To download the ISEE Assessment in full, please visit

https://mgiep.unesco.org/iseeaweb

   Source: UNESCO MGIEP