2025GSENetAnnuaIReport

smartEducation

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SmartLearningInstituteofBeijingNormalUniversity

August18,2025

SmartEducationintheAgeofAI

Publishedin2025bySmartLearningInstituteofBeijingNormalUniversity,12F,BlockA,JingshiTechnologyBuilding,No.12XueyuanSouthRoad,HaidianDistrict,Beijing,100082,China

WewouldliketothankalltheBNUstudentsandgraduateswhosharedtheirfirsthand

experiencesoflearningandteaching.Fortheprotectionoftheiridentities,wehavekepttheirnamesanonymous.

?GSENet2025

?SLIBNU2025

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Pleasecitetheworkasfollows:

Huang,R.H.,Liu,D.J.,Kanwar,A.S.,Zhan,T.,Yang,J.F.(Eds).(2025).SmartEducationintheAgeofAI.Beijing:GlobalSmartEducationNetworkandSmartLearningInstituteofBeijingNormalUniversity.

/10.6084/m9.figshare.29923658

smartEducation

intheAgeofAl

SmartLearningInstituteofBeijingNormalUniversity

August18,2025

FOREWORD

Educationstandsatadefiningmoment.Astheworldfaceswideninginequalities,acceleratingtechnologicalchange,andtheurgentimperativeofachievingSustainableDevelopmentGoal4(SDG4),theconceptofsmarteducationhasemergedasbothaneffectiveapproachandavisionforthefutureofeducation.ReimaginingsmarteducationintheAgeofAIrespondstothismomentwithclarityandconviction—offeringaroadmapfortransforminglearningsystemsthroughtheethicalandequitableuseofartificialintelligenceandappropriatetechnologies.

Thisreportisnotjustareflectionofwhereweare,butacalltoaction.Whilethedigitalrevolutionhasalreadybeguntoreshapeeducation,itsbenefitsremainunevenlydistributed—especiallyacrosstheGlobalSouth.Thisreporthighlightstheneedforinnovationwhiledemandingsystemic,human-centeredchangetoensurenolearnerisleftbehind.

DevelopedthroughacollaborationledbyBeijingNormalUniversityandHangzhouNormalUniversity—withsupportofUNESCOIITEandtheGlobalSmartEducationNetwork(GSENet)—thereportdrawsondecadesofresearchanddiversecasestudiesfromcountriesoftheGlobalSouth.Itisclearthattechnologyaloneisnotthesolution.Thefutureofeducationmustcombinethebestinthehumanandthemachine,intheoryandpractice,andinpolicyandaction.

Threethemesemergefromthisreport:i)Teachersarebeingcalledintonewrolesasfacilitators,mentors,andco-designersoflearningandempoweringthemisessentialtoanysmarteducationstrategy;ii)Smarteducationisnotaone-size-fits-allapproachbutmustbetailoredtolocalneeds,cultures,andinfrastructures;iii)South-Southcooperation,andcross-sectorpartnershipsarevitaltothesuccessfulimplementationofsmarteducation.

Aswelookaheadto2030andbeyond,smarteducationchallengestheeducationsectortomovebeyondpilotprojectsandisolatedinnovations,towardsystemicchangeguidedbyprinciplesofequity,ethics,andsustainability.Smarteducationisnotmerelyatechnologicalupgrade—itisareimaginingoflearningitself,builtforresilience,inclusivity,andtheuncertainchallengesofthefuture.

Weextendourdeepestappreciationtotheresearchers,educators,policymakers,andcommunitieswhocontributedtheirinsightstothisendeavor.Wehopethisreportwillserveasacriticalresourceforthosecommittedtotransformingeducationforafairer,smarter,andmorejustworld.

Prof.RonghuaiHuang

Co-Dean,

SmartLearningInstituteofBNU

Dr.TaoZhan

Director,

UNESCOIITE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thecollectiveeffortsofnumerousindividualsandinstitutionscontributedsignificantlytothesuccessfulcompletionofthisreport.Weextendoursinceregratitudetoallthosewhosededicationandunstintingsupportmadethisworkpossible.

WeacknowledgetheleadershipofProf.RonghuaiHuangandProf.AshaSinghKanwar,whoguidedtheteamoftheSmartLearningInstituteofBeijingNormalUniversity(SLIBNU)inthedevelopmentofthisreport.WearealsogratefulfortheinvaluablecontributionsofProf.JunfengYangofHangzhouNormalUniversityandhisbrilliantteamofresearchers,whosecontributionshavemadethisreportpossible.

OurheartfeltappreciationisextendedtoeachmemberoftheGlobalSmartEducationNetwork(GSENet),fortheircollaborationthroughoutthisprocess.Thisistheirreportandwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheircontributions.Manyexperts,recognizedinthe“ListofContributors”,cameforwardtogenerouslysharetheirinsightsandresourcesforshapingthisdocument.

Weareespeciallythankfultotheindividualswhocontributedtoresearch,writing,andcoordination.Theirtirelesseffortsandmeticulousattentiontoqualitydeservesincereappreciation.Inparticular,wewouldliketoacknowledgeYaoSun,HaotianZhu,YixuanZhong,ZhanshanYang,andChenhuiAnofHangzhouNormalUniversity.WewishtothankProf.RongxiaZhuang,Dr.AhmedTlili,UsamaKalim,QiangWang,MohamedOubibi,TingwenChang,LinXu,JingwenPan,MengyuLiu,andZhishengLi,theSmartLearningInstitute(SLI)team,fortheir

dedicationandhardwork.WealsoappreciatethevaluablecontributionsofMichaelAgyemangAdarkwahandJienaSha,whowerealwaystheretoprovidesupport.

Lastbutnotleast,weacknowledgethecontributionsofgenerativeartificialintelligence(GenAI),especiallyChatGPTandDeepSeek,whichaccompaniedusonthisjourneywithresearch,drafting,andeditingsupport—aniceinstanceofhuman-machinecollaboration.

SUMMARY

Therapidproliferationofartificialintelligence(AI)andgenerativeAI(GenAI)agentsiscreatinganunprecedentedparadigmshiftinglobaleducation.WhiletheworldcontinuestograpplewithpersistentchallengesinachievingSustainableDevelopmentGoal4(SDG4)—includinglearningpoverty,teachershortages,anddeep-seatedinequitiesinaccess—thistechnologicalrevolutionpresentsbothaprofoundopportunityandacomplexsetofnewchallenges.Navigatingthisnewerarequiresastrategicandhuman-centeredreimaginingofwhatitmeanstolearn,teach,andgoverneducationsystems.ThisworkingreportofGlobalSmartEducationNetwork(GSENet)aimstoprovideacomprehensiveframeworkforpolicymakers,educators,andinstitutionalleaderstonavigatethecomplexitiesofAIintegration,harnessingitspotentialtocreatemoreintelligent,inclusive,andeffectivelearningecosystems.Byanalyzingtheoreticalfoundations,bestpractices,andempiricaldata,thereportexploreshowsmarteducationcanberedefinedtomeetthedemandsofanAI-drivenfuture.

Thereportbeginsbyoutliningthepersistentglobaleducationcrises,fromaccessandequitygapstolearningpovertyandteachershortages,positioningsmarteducationasastrategicsolution.

Inresponsetothechallengesofsmarteducation,thediverseperspectivesofsmarteducationwerepresented.TheNationalSmartEducationFramework,producedbytheBNU-UNESCOjointproject,wasfirstintroduced.Aglobalconsultationofexpertswasalsoconductedtogatherinsightsonhoweducationcanthriveleveragingnewandnoveltechnologiesasa“smart”solutiontoachieveitstransformationalpotentialtoshapejustandsustainablefutures.

ThethirdchapteroffersaninternationaloutlookonthecurrentstateofGenAIadoptioninhighereducation,basedonacomprehensivesurveyofteachersacrosstencountrieswithvaryingincomelevels.Keyfindingsrevealaburgeoning“intelligencedivide”linkedtoinfrastructuredisparities,alongsidewidespreadeducatorconcernsaboutgeneratinginaccurateoutputs,ethicalimplications,andthelackofprofessionalcompetencies.ThedataalsouncoversnuanceddifferencesinGenAIusagebasedoneconomiccontext,providingcriticalempiricalevidencefortargetedpolicymaking.

ThefourthchapterexaminesthestatusofAIandICTineducationinAfrica,includingAfricanUnion’sAIstrategy,Vision2063,andthe2023AIreport,underscoringtheneedforstrategicpolicies,investments,anddistinctiveapproaches.Thischapteralsocallsforbeyondaone-size-fits-allapproachandpointsoutthepotentialforChina-AfricacooperationtoaccelerateAfrica’sAIdevelopment.

Thefifthchapterfocusesonnational-levelpoliciesandpracticesofsmarteducationinMainlandChina.Atthepolicylevel,aroundkeyareaslikenationalvision,planningandinfrastructuredevelopment,Chinahasbuiltamulti-dimensional,coherentpolicysystemwithaseriesofdocumentsforminginstitutionalguarantees.Atthepracticelevel,basedonanalysisofmorethan1000relevantcasesbytheMinistryofEducationin2025,itprovidesempiricalreferencesfordeepeningsmarteducation,servingasreferencesforcountriestoadvancebalancedglobalsmarteducation.

ThesixthchapteraimstoinvestigatetheintegrationandapplicationofAIacrosstheQuacquarelliSymonds(QS)Top100Universities.Thestudyfocusesonthreecriticaldomains:TeachingandLearning,ResearchandInnovation,andUniversityAdministration,eachofwhichrepresentsafundamentalaspectofhighereducation.Itaimstoidentifypatterns,bestpractices,challenges,andemergingtrendsinAIintegrationwithinacademia.Drawingoninsightsfromthe“100+EdTechProject”andbestpracticesfromQSTop100universities,severalkeyfindingshaveemergedregardingthetransformativeroleofAIinhighereducation.

Finally,thereportconcludesbysynthesizingthesefindingstoreimaginethefuturesofsmarteducation,highlightingtheevolvingroleofAIagentsincreatinghuman-AIcollaborativelearning

ecosystems.Itculminatesinasetoftenactionablerecommendationsfornationalgovernments,educationalinstitutions,andinternationalpartners.Theserecommendationsemphasizetheneedfor:focusingonsmarteducationinnationalstrategicplanning;investinginAI-readyinfrastructureandAIliteracy;advancinghuman-AIcollaborationinpedagogy;ensuringethicalgovernance;andfosteringacultureofcontinuousimprovementthroughmulti-sectorpartnerships.

LISTOFFIGURES

Figure2-1NationalSmartEducationFramework 6

Figure2-2ThreeLayersofSmartEducation 7

Figure2-3RecognizingtheKeyFeaturesofSmartEducation 8

Figure3-1StatisticsoftheMostUsedGenAIFeatures 16

Figure3-2GenAIApplicationScenarios 17

Figure3-3Teachers’ConcernsabouttheApplicationofGenAIinEducation 18

Figure4-1DistributionofAIPolicyFocus 24

Figure4-2DistributionofLimitationsaccordingtotheAIPolicyDocuments 24

Figure4-3DistributionofICTPolicyFocus 25

Figure4-4DistributionofLimitationsaccordingtotheICTPolicyDocuments 26

Figure5-1SixStrategicPrioritiesof“SmartEducationPilotZones” 31

LISTOFTABLES

Table3-1WorldBankGNIPerCapita 15

Table3-2ThematicAnalysisofAIKeyEnablersinEducation 19

Table3-3ThematicAnalysisoftheChangingRolesofTeachers 20

Table3-4Human-GenAIInteractions 20

Table5-1DistributionofCaseThemesbyCategory 32

ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviation

FullForm

AdvancedEducationTechnologyProgram

AETP

AIArtificialIntelligence

AIEOUAIinEducationatOxfordUniversity

ARAugmentedReality

AUAfricanUnion

BCIBrain-ComputerInterface

EdTechEducationalTechnology

GenAIGenerativeAI

GERGrossEnrolmentRatio

GLMGeneralLanguageModel

GSENetGlobalSmartEducationNetwork

ICTInformationandCommunicationTechnology

IoTInternetofThings

LMSLearningManagementSystem

OECDOrganizationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment

OER

OFDL

SDG4

SDGs

UCL

UIS

UNESCO

UNSW

VR

XR

OpenEducationalResources

Open,Flexible,andDistanceLearningSustainableDevelopmentGoal4

SustainableDevelopmentGoalsUniversityCollegeLondon

UNESCOInstituteforStatistics

UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganizationTheUniversityofNewSouthWales

VirtualReality

ExtendedReality

Contents

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SUMMARY

LISTOFFIGURES

LISTOFTABLES

ABBREVIATIONS

1

Introduction

1.1GlobalEducationChallengesEnteringtheAIEra

1.2SmartEducationastheGuidingVisionandMission

1

1

3

2

DiversePerspectivesonSmartEducation

2.1NationalSmartEducationFramework

2.2NextGenerationLearningEnvironments

2.3ScholarPerspectivesfromDifferentRegions

5

5

10

11

3

Teachers’VoicesonSmartEducation:GenAIinTeachingandLearning

3.1MostUsedGenAIFeatures

3.2GenAIApplicationScenarios

3.3EthicalandSecurityConsiderations

3.4KeyEnablersforQualityofEducation

3.5ChangingRolesofTeachers

3.6Human–GenAICollaboration

15

16

16

17

18

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4

DigitalLearningandSmartEducationinAfrica:UNESCO’sGlobalPriority

4.1GeographicalDistribution

4.2StatusofAIandICTinEducation

4.3BeyondaOne-Size-Fits-AllApproach

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22

22

26

5

SmartEducationatCountryLevel:

PoliciesandPracticesinMainlandChina

5.1StrategicPolicies

5.2Scenario-DrivenPractices

27

27

30

6

SmartEducationattheInstitutionLevel:

AITransformingTopUniversitiesWorldwide

6.1EnhancingAICompetenceforDeepLearning

6.2PromotingEvidence-BasedTeachingwithQualityDigitalResources

6.3FacilitatingHuman-AICollaborationinTeaching

6.4BuildingResilientSmartLearningEcosystems

36

37

38

38

39

7

WayForward

7.1FuturesofSmartEducation

7.2Recommendations

42

41

44

References47

AppendixA51

ListofContributors60

1Introduction

JunfengYang,UsamaKalim,HaotianZhu,TaoZhan

1.1GlobalEducationChallengesEnteringtheAIEra

In2015,theglobalcommunityadoptedthe17SustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs)tofosterpeaceandprosperityfortheplanetandthepeople.Sustainable

DevelopmentGoal4(SDG4),dedicatedtoensuring"inclusiveandequitable

qualityeducationandlifelonglearning

opportunitiesforall"by2030,isoff-

tracktoachievetheexpectedtargets,

especiallyintheGlobalSouth(low-

andmiddle-incomecountries).Withthephenomenaldevelopmentsintechnologyinrecenttimes,cansmarteducation

supportcountriestoaccelerateprogresstowardsachievingSDG4?

Educationisthecoreofhuman

development.Itisoneofthemost

importantfactorsofindividual

empowerment,socialmobility,economicgrowth,andinternationalpeace.However,evenafterseveraldecadesofinternationaleffortsandpolicycommitments,millionsofindividualsaredeprivedoftheright

toqualityeducation.In2023,UNESCOestimatedthatmorethan272million

childrenandadolescentsaroundthe

worldareoutofschool,highlightingtheexistinginequalitiesthatpersist.InmanycountriesoftheGlobalSouth,even

whenchildrenattendschool,theydonotachieveproficiencyinreadingandbasicmathematics.Thereisalearningcrisiswhere6outof10childreninlow-and

middle-incomecountriesleaveprimaryschoolwithoutbasicliteracyornumeracy(UNESCO,2025).

Thecrisisinlearningisfurther

exacerbatedbythelackofqualified

teachers.Toachievethetargetsof

SDG4by2030,UNESCOestimates

thattheworldwillrequireabout69

millionadditionalteachers.However,

recruitmentalonewillnotsuffice.Thereisanurgentneedtoenhancethequalityofteachers,especiallyindigitalpedagogy,personalizedinstruction,andinclusive

practices(UNESCO,2023).

Inaddition,thereisahugedisparityin

theGrossEnrolmentRates(GER)in

tertiaryeducationbetweenthecountriesoftheGlobalSouthandtheGlobalNorth(predominantlyhigh-incomecountries).

1

Whileglobally,GERintertiaryeducationisnearly40%,theaveragedropsto

amere10%inSub-SaharanAfrica.

Simultaneously,adultilliteracycontinuestoremainalarming.Two-thirdsofthe773millionilliterateadultsgloballyarewomen,whofindithardtoengagefullyinsocietyandfindstablejobsoreducatetheirownchildren(UIS,2022).

Whiletechnologyisgrowingata

phenomenalpace,thedigitaldivide

continuestopersistwithbillionsof

individuals,especiallyinruralorunderservedareas,withlittleornoaccesstoelectricity,affordableinternet,andcomputingdevices(OECD,2023).Inaddition,thegender

digitaldivideisaliveandwellintheGlobalSouth,indicatingtheexistenceofstructuralinequalitiesinaccesstodigitaltechnologiesamongmenandwomen.Technology,tobeeffectivelyharnessed,needstobeplacedinanappropriatepolitical,economicandsocialcontext.

TheUNTransformingEducationSummit2022highlightstheurgentneedto

overhaulglobaleducationsystems,

andaddressthedeepcrisismarkedby

inequality,outdatedcurricula,undertrainedteachers,andtheinabilitytoequip

learnerswiththeskillsneededforthe

21stcentury.Thisrequiresrethinkingthepurposeofeducationtofocusonlifelong,inclusive,andvalues-drivenlearning

acrossfourareas:learningtolearn,tolive

together,todo,andtobe.Transformativechangewillrequirecollectiveleadership,andstrongpoliticalwill,supportedby

partnershipstoensurethateducationtrulyfulfillsitsroleinshapingajust,

sustainable,andpeacefulfuture(UnitedNations,2022).

TheUNSummitoftheFuture2024

emphasizesthekeyroleofscience,

technology,andinnovationtoadvance

sustainabledevelopment.Recognizing

persistentdivides—particularlybetweendevelopedanddevelopingcountries

andacrossgenderandmarginalized

groups—thePactfortheFuturecommitstointernationalcooperationtoensure

equitableaccesstotechnologies,promoteethicalinnovation,andstrengthen

capacitiesintheGlobalSouth.It

underscorestheneedtoinvestinthe

socialandeconomicdevelopmentof

youththroughaccesstoqualityeducationanddecentjobs,eliminatingdiscriminationandaddressingchallengeslikeclimate

change(UnitedNations,2024).

Withtheentryoftheartificialintelligence(AI)era,therapidevolutionofartificial

intelligence—particularlygenerativeAI

(GenAI)—hasprofoundlyaccelerateditsintegrationintoeducationaldomains.TheunprecedentedpaceofAIdevelopmentofferspromisingopportunitiestoaddressthechallengesmentionedabove.

However,alongsidethesepotentials,the

2

integrationofAIintoeducationalpracticealsogeneratesnewandcomplexissues,includingethicalconsiderations,equityconcerns,andpedagogicaldisruptions.Thisdualnatureunderscoresthe

necessityofexamininghoweducationsystemscaneffectivelyandresponsiblyintegrateAI.

Inordertoaddresstheseissues,smarteducationproposesarevolutionary

visionbyharnessingthepotentialof

AItechnologiesandahuman-centric

approach.Smarteducationsystems,

informedbyprinciplesofequity,

accessibility,andsustainability,havethepotentialtofast-tracktherealizationofSDG4.

1.2SmartEducationastheGuidingVisionandMission

Withinthiscontext,smarteducation

canpotentiallybeaneffectiveand

efficientsolution.Smarteducationis

anapproachbasedontechnologyand

learner-centerednessthatusesemergingtechnologies,includingAI,theInternetofThings(IoT),BigDataanalytics,Cloud

Computing,andvirtual/augmented

reality(VR/AR)torevolutionizeteaching,learning,andeducationalmanagement.Incontrasttotraditionalmethods,smarteducationsystemsareflexible,inclusive,data-oriented,andscalable,providingtheopportunitytoovercomelong-standing

structuralproblemsintheglobaleducationsystem.

First,smarteducationhasthepotential

towidenaccesstolearningbyremovinggeographic,financial,andinfrastructuralobstacles.Withthehelpofmobilelearningplatforms,openeducationalresources

(OER),andvirtualclassroomspoweredbyAI,studentsinremoteorunderprivilegedcommunitiescanaccesshigh-quality

contentandcommunicatewithinstructors,andinteractwithpeers.

Second,ithasthepotentialtoincreaseequityandinclusionthroughmultilingualsupport,individualizedlearningpaths,andassistivetechnologiesthatsupportdiverselearners,includingstudentswithdisabilities.

Third,smarteducationenhances

teachingcapacityandquality.TeacherscanbeassistedwithAI-poweredtoolstoautomateroutinework,includinggrading,andhelpdeveloppersonalizedlesson

plans,diagnoselearninggaps,toadaptandtailorinstructiontosuitindividualneeds.Smarteducationplatforms

canprovidecontinuousprofessional

development,asteachersimprovetheirdigitalandpedagogicalskillsatscale.

Fourth,smarteducationisimportant

inclosingthedigitaldivide.Although

technologicalsolutionsarenotapanacea

3

forinfrastructuraldisparities,smart

educationsystemssupportuniversal

accesstoaffordabledigitaltoolsand

connectivitythroughinclusivepolicies

andpartnerships.Thesystemfocusesondigitalliteracyeducationofstudentsandeducatorstoequipthemwiththeskillstoworkintheknowledgeeconomy.

Finally,smarteducationcanenhancethequalityandrelevanceofeducationtomeetthetargetsofSDG4.Smarteducation

prepareslearnerstobecomelifelong

learnersequippedforthefuturewith

skillsincriticalthinking,problem-solving,creativity,anddigitalfluency.

Tosumup,theglobaleducation

environmentiscurrentlyexperiencing

severalissues,includingaccessand

equity,teachershortages,anddigital

exclusion.Technology,tobeeffectivelyharnessed,needstobeplacedinan

appropriatepolitical,economicandsocialcontext.Tosolvethesepressingissues,smarteducationproposesarevolutionary

vision.Smarteducationsystems,informedbyprinciplesofequity,accessibility,andsustainability,havethepotentialtofast-

tracktherealizationofSDG4.

Inthisreport,wewillfirstfocuson

thedevelopmentofsmarteducation

globally.Wewillfirstexplorethediverseperspectivesofsmarteducation,includingtheinternationalorganizations,scholars,andthevoicesfromteachers.FollowedbyAfrica’sstatusonAIandICTin

education,andtheanalysisofthetop100universities’AIutilizationinteachingandlearning.Then,thepoliciesandpracticesofsmarteducationinmainlandChina

willbepresented.TheFinalsectionof

thereportwillhighlighttheimportanceofsmarteducation,itsfuturedirections,andmakeconcreterecommendationsthatcanbeimplementedtoensurethataccesstoqualityeducationandlifelonglearningcanbecomearealityforall.

4

2DiversePerspectivesonSmartEducation

AshaSinghKanwar,MichaelAgyemangAdarkwah,UsamaKalim,LinXu,MengyuLiu,ZhishengLi

Inthepreviouschapter,weposedthe

criticalquestion,“CanSmartEducation

supportcountriestoaccelerateprogresstowardsachievingSDG4?”.Thequestionhighlightsthecomplexandmultitudinouschallengesfacingeducationsystems

globally.TechnologyespeciallyAIis

seenasapanaceatothesechallenges.Itisundeniablethatmanygovernments

haveincreasedinvestmentsindigital

technologiestoenhancetheeducationalprocess(teaching,learning,research,

administrativetasks,etc.).However,

theeffectivenessofdigitaltechnologies

ineducationisstillavalidconcernand

atopicofongoingdebate.TheGlobal

EducationMonitoringReport2023

revealedthatwhiletechnologyoffersaneducationallifelineformillionsofstudents,itexcludesmanymore.Atthesame

time,therapidpaceofdevelopmentof

technologiessuchasAI/GenAIisputtingastrainoneducationsystemsworldwide.Thiscallsforconsensus-buildingamongkeystakeholders,experts,andacademicstochartapathforwardforsafeguardingandshapingthefuturesofeducation.

Inresponse,GlobalSmartEducationNetwork(GSENet)conductedaglobal

consultationofexpertstogathertheir

insightsonhoweducationcanleveragenewtechnologiesasa“smart”solution

totransformitselfforthefuture.Moderneducationsystemscannotachievetheirgoalofsolvingsocietalissueswhen

traditionaleducationmodels,oftenill-

equippedtoaddressthecomplexand

multifacetedsocietalproblemsofthe

21stcentury,arestillbeingimplemented.UNESCO(2022)proposedanewsocialcontractforeducationtorepairthe

injusticesofthepastwhiletransformingthefuture.Assuch,smarteducationusestechnologiesasatransformativetool

ineducation,groundedinhumanrightsandbasedonprinciplesofsocialjustice,humandignityandculturaldiversity.

2.1NationalSmartEducationFramework

Since2020,BNU,incollaborationwithinternationalorganizationssuchas

UNESCOIITE,ISTE,COL,SEAMEO,andALECSO,hasinitiatedajoint

projecton“RethinkingandRedesigningNationalSmartEducationStrategy”toconceptualizeacommonunderstandingofsmarteducation.Overthepastfew

5

years,aseriesofannualreportshave

progressivelyrefinedtheconceptual,

strategic,andpracticaldimensionsofsmarteducationtoshapeaglobalconsensus.

The2021reportintroducedtheNationalSmartEducationFramework(Yanget

al.,2022),whichconsistsoffourcore

elements(seeFigure2-1):implementingforward-thinkingpolicy,buildingsmart

digitallearningenvironments,transformingteachingandlearning,andoverarching

considerations.

Forward-thinkinggovernanceandpolicyinitiatives:

Amodernizeddigitallearningecosystemrequiresastrategic,long-term

commitmentfromgovernmentleaderstodevelopanationalvisionandplanforthe

effectiveuseofeducationaltechnology,aswellasadequateinvestmentsrequiredtoensureeffectiveandsustainable

implementation.

Digitallearningenvironmentsconducivetosmarteducation:

Amodernizeddigitallearning

ecosystemrequiresanenvironment

wherebothformalandnon-formal

educati