We are writing to invite you to contribute to UNESCO’s Futures of Education initiative. We are suggesting a range of ways for you and your partners and networks to contribute to the global discussion and debate in 2020 on how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet.
This ambitious new initiative seeks to generate an agenda for global debate and action on the futures of education, learning and knowledge in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity. The International Commission on the Futures of Education, appointed by the UNESCO Director-General Ms Audrey Azoulay, is chaired by H.E. Ms Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The Commission’s first meeting will take place in Paris on 28-29 January 2020 and its work will lead to a flagship publication scheduled for release at the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference in late 2021.
The success of the initiative also rests on a broad, open consultation and engagement process that involves youth, educators, civil society, governments, business leaders and many other stakeholders.
We are counting on your assistance to help publicize and promote a set of online engagement channels that have been developed and are each available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. These consist of:
- Top 3 Challenges and Purposes of Education – Survey. A 3-minute online survey to offer views on the top three development challenges ahead in the future and top three ways education can address them.
- Your Vision of Education in 2050 – Submission of artwork. This platform invites people to share their original creative, artistic visions of what education might look like in 2050.
- Your View on the Futures of Education – Written contributions. This platform invites people to present their thoughts on what they see as the one major issue for the futures of education (max 1000 words).
These platforms are now open for contribution. Please share widely with your networks.
In addition to promoting these online platforms, we welcome organizations and networks which would like to provide inputs to the International Commission on the Futures of Education by organizing the following:
- Focus Group Discussions: Focus groups discussions on the futures of education may be organized with a range of stakeholders. The insights gained through these focus group discussions will be synthesized by UNESCO and presented to the International Commission as input into the development of the global report. Guidelines for the organization of Focus Group Discussions can be downloaded here.
- Reports to the International Commission: UNESCO invites its partners and organizations broadly interested in the futures of education to organize seminars or workgroups that result in a written report prepared especially for the International Commission on the Futures of Education. Input is welcome on key challenges for the future and ways of addressing them, as well as on opportunities foreseen. We invite you to coordinate your planned activities with UNESCO’s Education Research and Foresight Programme and to submit your report to the Commission by email to futuresofeducation@unesco.org. Written reports (maximum 10pp), will be accepted in any of the 6 UN working languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian), and should be received before 30 June 2020.
Thank you in advance for your engagement. We look forward to receiving ideas from you and/or the groups you are able to activate.
Please feel free to contact futuresofeducation@unesco.org with any questions or requests.
Best regards.