Invest more in education for economic growth, report

A Class 8 pupil at Nyali School praying before starting his KCPE paper at the institution during the second day of the exam in Mombasa County on Tuesday 31st October 2023. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

Governments should boost education investment despite economic challenges, a global consortium of experts has recommended in a new landmark report.

The inaugural report that highlights insights on closing the global education and learning gaps comes as the world risks missing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 to achieve universal quality education by 2030.

Convened by global technology leader HP, in partnership with the Global Learning Council and T4 Education, the HP Futures initiative, gathered more than 100 education and policy-making experts to develop a set of practical recommendations looking at the future of education.

Among others, the HP Futures report found that every single United States Dollar (USD), spent on education leads to a subsequent return of USD 1.66 in economic activity, with even greater effect during a recession. The rapid rise of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation is also noted as changing our global economy while curricula continue to educate for a 20th-century economy.

“It is an international scandal that two decades into the 21^st century, 70% of children worldwide cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of 10. Spending money isn’t easy when times are tough, but an investment in education is an investment in the future of your nation and in the world. Skill your teachers and your children. I hope that this is a commitment all nations can make to the next generation”, said Vikas Pota, Founder & CEO of T4 Education

Seeking to address these challenges, HP Futures report suggests actions that can improve access to good education. These include a redesign of education systems to create schools and curricula fit for tomorrow and the delivery of interventions in the early years, to help young people in less advantaged communities build a knowledge economy and AI-proof skills from an early age.

For a genuinely effective approach to AI, key recommendations in the report include implementing a hybrid schooling system with a mix of asynchronous and synchronous learning formats and centring social and emotional learning skills in curricula.

Others are delivery on existing commitments to a baseline in education, including ensuring girls’ transition to secondary education and the development of national assessment and data collection systems, being the most cost-effective investment in education today.

The report also calls for the separation of subjects to no longer mirror the outdated industrial system as well as reforming assessment to ensure greater equality of outcomes while reforming curricula to instil a sense of agency in young people in tackling the climate crisis.

“With today’s rapidly evolving landscape, driven by AI and other technology innovations, the next generation needs the skills and digital fluency that will enable them to thrive in the 21^st century. Our aim with the HP Futures initiative is to provide impactful recommendations that will drive action towards more equitable and inclusive education”, said David McQuarrie, Chief Commercial Officer at HP & HP Futures Chair.

The report further urges the subsidisation of Education Technology (EdTech) tools that help pupils attain foundational literacy and numeracy, including ensuring access to language-learning applications for all pupils.

Additionally, it notes that investment in wide-ranging teacher ups-killing initiatives, including those combating low digital fluency among teachers, would allow educators to adapt to an EdTech and AI-empowered teaching era.

To address the challenge of improving foundational literacy, HP has introduced two new programmes. HP Read.ai seeks to empower teachers to create solutions through research, design thinking, and harness generative AI to boost the development of digital competencies in the next generation.  The HP EdTech Incubator will support the scaling of impactful education technology programmes worldwide by providing training, incubation and mentorship to selected educators.

The HP Futures initiative brought together five unique councils over six months in late 2023 and early 2024 comprising of former heads of state, education ministers, academics, educators, and leaders from NGOs and the business world.

They explored and put forward insights and actionable recommendations on Tomorrow’s Schools, Education Reform, Knowledge Economy Skills, Ending Learning Poverty and EdTech for Teachers.