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STORY: UN / INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION
TRT: 03:58
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 24 JANUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN Headquarters
24 JANUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Med shot, ECOSOC Chamber
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Philémon Yang, President of the 79th session of the General Assembly, United Nations:
“We need transparent and ethical artificial intelligence systems that foster trust among educators, learners and communities. Systems that complement traditional approaches to both learning and teaching. Systems that prioritize the needs of marginalized and underserved groups, and systems that augment human efforts to realize the aims of Sustainable Development Goal number four.”
4. Med shot, ECOSOC Chamber
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eliot Minchenberg, Director, Liaison Office to the UN in New York, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“AI has the potential to enable new forms of teaching, learning and advanced education management. It can also enhance learning experiences and support students and teachers’ tasks.”
6. Med shot, ECOSOC Chamber
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eliot Minchenberg, Director, Liaison Office to the UN in New York, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“As students are truly engaging in meaningful learning or they simply completing tasks generated by algorithms, how do we ensure educators are empowered rather than overshadowed by this new technology? How can teachers be better supported to develop capacities to leverage the potential benefits of AI?”
8. Med shot, ECOSOC Chamber
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eliot Minchenberg, Director, Liaison Office to the UN in New York, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“In 2022, only seven countries in the world have developed AI frameworks or programs for teachers and only 15 countries have included AI learning objectives in the national curriculum.”
10. Med shot, ECOSOC Chamber
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eliot Minchenberg, Director, Liaison Office to the UN in New York, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
“We should also recall the millions of children, youth and adults worldwide that are still struggling to gain access to digital tools and basic digital skills. Importantly, as we embrace the significance of investing in new technologies and emerging technologies, we must also ensure these efforts are balanced with a steadfast investment in education, creating a future where innovation benefits all learners.”
12. Med shot, ECOSOC Chamber
13. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Yasmine Cherif, Executive Director, Education Cannot Wait (ECW):
“234 million children across over, over 50 armed conflict countries in context who do not access to quality education. Over 80 million of them don't even go to school.”
15. Med shot, speakers, journalists
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Yasmine Cherif, Executive Director, Education Cannot Wait (ECW):
“So, we are speaking about an extreme, extreme learning poverty. It's a disaster. And the worst is that it keeps increasing every year.”
17. Med shot, speakers, journalists
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Yasmine Cherif, Executive Director, Education Cannot Wait (ECW):
“The worst affected is sub-Saharan Africa. That's where we need to put our top priority. They are most those left farthest behind. Girls in Afghanistan - And you have seen the developments there where some legal actions are now being taken by the international Court. And of course, we have 650,000 children and adolescents in Gaza who are falling completely behind over the past 14 or 15 months with no education.”
19. Med shot, speakers, journalists
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Yasmine Cherif, Executive Director, Education Cannot Wait (ECW):
“It's easy to shift from investing trillions in the war, in war machinery towards a few hundred billion a year for children who are suffering from disruption in their education.”
21. Med shot, speakers, journalists
On International Day of Education (24 Jan), UNESCO organized an event in New York to spotlight the dynamic interplay between AI and education, and Education Cannot Wait launched a new Global Estimates Report, sounding the alarm on growing needs that are outpacing education aid funding.
Under the theme “AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation”, the 2025 International Day of Education encourages reflections on the power of education to equip individuals and communities to navigate, understand and influence technological advancement.
At today’s event "Artificial Intelligence and Education: Challenges and Opportunities", Philémon Yang, President of the 79th session of the General Assembly, said, “We need transparent and ethical artificial intelligence systems that foster trust among educators, learners and communities. Systems that complement traditional approaches to both learning and teaching. Systems that prioritize the needs of marginalized and underserved groups, and systems that augment human efforts to realize the aims of Sustainable Development Goal number four.”
Also at the event, Eliot Minchenberg, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office to the UN in New York, said, “AI has the potential to enable new forms of teaching, learning and advanced education management. It can also enhance learning experiences and support students and teachers’ tasks.”
He also said, “As students are truly engaging in meaningful learning or they simply completing tasks generated by algorithms, how do we ensure educators are empowered rather than overshadowed by this new technology? How can teachers be better supported to develop capacities to leverage the potential benefits of AI?”
He noted, “In 2022, only seven countries in the world have developed AI frameworks or programs for teachers and only 15 countries have included AI learning objectives in the national curriculum.”
He concluded, “We should also recall the millions of children, youth and adults worldwide that are still struggling to gain access to digital tools and basic digital skills. Importantly, as we embrace the significance of investing in new technologies and emerging technologies, we must also ensure these efforts are balanced with a steadfast investment in education, creating a future where innovation benefits all learners.”
Also on the occasion of the International Day of Education, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) launched a new Global Estimates Report, sounding the alarm on growing needs that are outpacing education aid funding.
The new report reveals that this number has increased by an estimated 35 million over the past three years, reaching 234 million by the end of 2024.
Addressing the press today, Yasmine Cherif, ECW Executive Director said, “234 million children across over, over 50 armed conflict countries in context who do not access to quality education. Over 80 million of them don't even go to school.”
She continued, “So, we are speaking about an extreme, extreme learning poverty. It's a disaster. And the worst is that it keeps increasing every year.”
She added, “The worst affected is sub-Saharan Africa. That's where we need to put our top priority. They are most those left farthest behind. Girls in Afghanistan - And you have seen the developments there where some legal actions are now being taken by the international Court. And of course, we have 650,000 children and adolescents in Gaza who are falling completely behind over the past 14 or 15 months with no education.”
Compounding conflicts, coupled with more frequent and severe extreme weather and climate events, jeopardize the present and future of this rapidly growing number of children. Refugees, internally displaced children, girls and children with disabilities are among the most affected, the report states.
While needs are increasing, the new report highlights that after several years of significant growth, humanitarian education aid funding has now stagnated.
ECW Executive Director stated, “It's easy to shift from investing trillions in the war, in war machinery towards a few hundred billion a year for children who are suffering from disruption in their education.”
