The International Day of Education is going to be observed on January 24th, 2025, and this year’s theme is ‘learning for lasting peace’. The United Nations’ General Assembly in December 2018 announced that the UN and its associated organisations will celebrate International Day of Education as an annual event to promote the access of universal education around the world. The main aim of fixing a day, especially for such gatherings, is to show commitment to the cause of education and recognise the fact that education can alone stimulate peace and development around the world.
Why does UNESCO dedicate the International Day of Education 2025 to AI?
UNESCO has dedicated International Day of Education 2025 to AI and has asked all member states to separately allocate funds for the promotion of AI, training of teachers and students, and the responsible use of these latest technologies. The core aim of linking AI to the International Day of Education is to promote a global discussion on the use of AI in the education sector. UNESCO believes that AI offers major opportunities to promote education in the world. It is supporting the proliferation of AI so that this new technology complements the current capacity of students as well as teachers.
What is the safe age for students to use AI?
In September 2023, UNESCO published two AI competency frameworks for students and teachers and suggested that the age limit to use AI in the classrooms should be 13 years. UNESCO believes that AI is already becoming a visible part of the education sector. In industrialised and high-income countries, more than 66% of secondary school students are already using generative AI to complete their schoolwork. However, according to a survey by UNESCO in May 2023, only 10% of schools and universities had any official structure for the use of AI.
Out of School Children: Whose problem is this?
Education provides a solid foundation for children to come out of poverty and do something for themselves in life. There are about 244 million children who are out of school, and 617 million children cannot read and do basic math, according to the UN. Similar statistics show that less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete their lower secondary education, and around 4 million children and adolescent refugees are out of school. Education is a basic human right, and it is enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which calls for free and compulsory elementary education for every child regardless of his or her nationality, race, or ethnicity. Therefore, it is everybody’s problem, and not a problem of any specific country or race. If we fail in this, we cannot dream of a fair, inclusive, equitable, and poverty-free world.
There are over two billion people who are living in those areas affected by violence and conflicts, which makes a quarter of the global population. Due to these global conflicts, there are more than 468 million children who are living in armed-conflict zones, while nearly 200 million children are living in dangerous war zones, according to statistics compiled by Save the Children. In many cases, these children face lifelong physical and mental challenges, especially when these conflicts carry on for years and years.
Education is one of the biggest casualties of children who live in conflict areas. Research shows that in tough times children view education as their last hope for their future and happiness. That is why it is awfully important for children to get engaged in some kind of education and other related activities despite all the possible hurdles. According to organisations that work for children, extreme hunger, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic have badly hurt the already fragile situation of such children over the last few years.
Conclusion
International Day of Education provides us an opportunity to reflect back and understand that out-of-school children should be a global concern for all of us. Our world is getting more and more interdependent and interconnected with each passing year; therefore, what happens today in one country does affect another in one way or another. These millions of children are heavily dependent on their surroundings, and it is not their fault that they are stuck in conflict zones or a war is imposed on their country. The right to education of these children is being violated, and it should be unacceptable to all of us, no matter which country we live in.
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