First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska delivered a message at the ‘Shaping the Future of Learning Now’ event
- Summit
The event ‘Shaping the Future of Learning Now’ took place on the sidelines of the Summit of the Future at the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA. The event focused on preventing global educational losses through digital transformation, AI, and innovation, as well as discussing the creation of schools that will meet future challenges.
The safety of the educational process and digitalization, particularly in Ukraine, were also key topics at the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, held on September 12, 2024, in Kyiv.
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska recorded a video message for the event. Among the speakers were Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland Ville Tavio; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Zambia Mulambo Haimbe; Minister of Education and Merit of Italy Giuseppe Valditara; First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Yevhen Kudriavets; Deputy Executive Director, Partnerships, UNICEF, Kitty van der Heijden; Director, UNICEF Office of Global Innovation, Thomas Davin; Vice President of Global Impact, OpenAI, Anna Makanju; Vice President, Engineering and Research, Google, Yossi Matias; Vice President of International, Khan Academy, Sandeep Bapna; as well as Head, UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub, Frank van Cappelle.
The event ‘Shaping the Future of Learning Now’ was co-organized by the governments of Finland, Zambia, Italy, Ukraine, and UNICEF, with Google, Khan Academy, and OpenAI as its partners.
The participants discussed the problem of access to full and quality education for children from different regions of the world. They also considered how to raise awareness of the systemic educational crisis in the world. After all, at least 250 million children are currently out of school for various reasons, and 222 million are living in crisis and need immediate assistance with access to education.
First Lady Olena Zelenska shared Ukraine’s education experience during the war and the challenges faced by students and teachers. ‘Education is one of human and child rights. But, unfortunately, in real life, it turns out that in many countries, we have to fight for this right,’ – Mrs Zelenska stated.
The First Lady of Ukraine added that due to security concerns and constant Russian shelling, only one-third of Ukrainian students physically attend schools and only those which are equipped with bomb shelters. According to Zelenska, there are ‘children who have been studying for three years and have never attended the school building’ in Ukraine, while ‘two-thirds of students study online’.
Despite these challenges, Ukraine continues implementing initiatives to improve the national education system. One such initiative is the Devices Coalition project, created in partnership with international organisations, to provide students and teachers across Ukraine with access to devices to study online. Other solutions include educational apps, such as the recently developed ‘Mriia’ app by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which helps track students’ schedules and progress, as well as the reform of school nutrition.
First Deputy Minister of Education and Science Yevhen Kudriavets also shared Ukraine`s experience, highlighting the development of digital education centres in cooperation with UNESCO, UNICEF, and GPE. Additionally, plans are in place to establish a Center of Excellence for Educational Innovation in Ukraine, which would aim to overcome educational losses with the help of AI and technology, as well as improve the quality and inclusiveness of education, focusing on the skills and needs of the future.
‘Our priority now is not just to keep education standing in the face of war. The key focus is to develop education to become stronger. And this development in Ukraine is possible, in particular, thanks to digital technologies. For example, innovative solutions such as the Mriia app are not just a product, but a new approach to organizing the educational process. It is a whole digital educational ecosystem that will accompany individuals throughout their lives and help them to realize their potential. Of course, this experience is new and interesting for the international community, and we are ready to share it,’ – Kudriavets stated.
The Summit of the Future is a platform that brings together representatives of UN member states, civil society, and the private sector around a common goal, planning for a secure, peaceful, and highly developed future. Digital technologies, peace and security, as well as sustainable development and financing, are the key topics of the 2024 Summit.
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