Worldwide
International Human Rights Day
To celebrate International Human Rights Day on 10 December, EI issued a statement, “Education, Human Rights, and Dignity”, stressing why education is an essential right. As previously highlighted at EI's global conference on the right to education of refugees and forcibly displaced peoples, education must inform societies and empower individuals to reflect, engage in critical thinking, integrate and adjust. It strengthens respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and enables all people to participate effectively in a free society, promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations and all racial, ethnic, or religious groups.
World Economic Forum
Many discussions at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos revolved around how technology impacts society now and in future. On 18 January, the Varkey Foundation and EI jointly hosted a debate during WEF to address this question in relation to education. Angelo Gavrielatos framed the discussion, entitled “Robots vs. Humans: The teacher of the future? Implications of the 4th Industrial Revolution for Education Systems”. He highlighted that the potential benefits of new technologies can only be fully realised when teachers, as qualified professionals with expertise in pedagogy, are involved in their design and development. The EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen and Timo Linsenmaier were also present at the event. A summary of the discussion is available here
