Education is a human right, which means that no boy or girl should be deprived of it. It must be free, accessible and of quality for all of them. But education is in crisis and more than 90% of the world's school-age children and adolescents have seen their own education interrupted by Covid-19; It has been the biggest rupture of educational systems in history. The pandemic has had a serious impact on global education. An impact that still resonates strongly.
According to UNESCO, in May 2021, schools were closed in 26 countries and partially open in 55. The closure affected children and adolescents unequally, as not all had the same opportunities, tools or access to continue learning. On the one hand, schools were ill-prepared to deliver distance education to all students equally. On the other hand, children from low-income families were excluded from online learning as they could not afford the internet or a device. The digital divide has become stronger than ever and accentuated the inequalities (and problems) in education that already existed before the pandemic. When Covid-19 hit hard, many governments did not have the necessary policies, infrastructure and resources to ensure that all children could participate equally in remote education.
The present is no more hopeful. For millions of students, the closure of schools has not been a temporary interruption of their education, but an abrupt end to it, with the consequences for their future and that of future generations that this entails. That is why the transformation of education has become one of the greatest challenges for the international community. Because schools must be inclusive, safe and healthy; because foundational learning is critical and lifelong; because education must promote sustainable development; because teaching has to be transformative and the digital revolution is key to that transformation. And because education requires public investment.
To highlight each and every one of these powerful reasons why education must be transformed and to respond to a global crisis that affects millions of children in vulnerable contexts, the United Nations held its first Education Transformation Summit (TES ) at its headquarters in New York, on September 16, 17 and 19.
This global gathering was an opportunity to raise education to the top of the political agenda and mobilize action to recover pandemic-related learning losses and, looking to the future, sow the seeds to transform education in a rapidly changing world. More specifically, to achieve national and international commitments; increased public participation and support; and a declaration of principles by the UN Secretary General on the transformation of education.
ProFuturo wanted to contribute to all these challenges, which, together with the world leaders of the educational community, participated in the United Nations summit, specifically, in the Solutions Day on September 17. The digital education program launched by Fundación Telefónica and Fundación ”la Caixa” seeks to reduce the educational gap in the world. How? Providing quality digital education to children in vulnerable environments in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
Magdalena Brier, general director of ProFuturo, was in charge of participating in the meeting on the promotion of alliances between multiple actors to promote the transformation of education. In her intervention, she drew attention to the need for “closer collaboration between Ministries of Education, educators and private sector leaders to connect and expand efforts to create holistic and resilient education systems that necessarily include a digital dimension.
ProFuturo thus did its bit to mobilize actions related to learning and digital transformation, the financing of education or the promotion of digital employability, among other thematic lines of action guided by the Sustainable Development Goals that make up the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
The session, organized by the Global Education Coalition (a collaborative platform launched by UNESCO in 2020 as a result of COVID-19), of which the digital education program of Fundación Telefónica and Fundación ”la Caixa is a member, also featured with other private sector partners such as Microsoft, Ericsson and Google, and with government representatives such as the Ministers of Education of El Salvador and Senegal.
