Frameworks for the Futures of AI in Education.

Countries are using UNESCO’s Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) to map weaknesses and opportunities and to guide national AI strategies ; two latest additions being Namibia and Mozambique. 

The DRC is prioritizing digital transformation projects, investment partnerships for infrastructure, AI adapted to local languages, and personalized learning, organized around governance, regulation of human capital, and industrialization. RAM has supported startups, scholarships and capacity-building—pointing toward sovereign digital infrastructures and talent retention. 

Dr. Turyagenda notes that youth are already using AI and need a structured framework; its National AI Strategy and Digital Agenda Strategy align with UNESCO, AU and East African frameworks, with teachers involved from the start.

Preparing learners for an AI-driven economy.

Namibia—among the first in Southern Africa to launch a RAM process—is developing a national AI strategy and a National AI Institute. Hon. Mr. Dino Ballotti, Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture of Namibia underscores that the national approach is “humanity first” and context-specific—“Namibian problems require Namibian solutions”—with priorities in school connectivity, teacher and learner readiness, and data availability. Indigenous communities are actively involved in developing tools and digital technologies. 

The Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC), created in response to last year’s Australian Universities Accord, has begun interim operations and will act as an independent steward for the system, overseeing implementation of reforms aimed at lifting participation, improving equity, and strengthening links between vocational and higher education.

Addressing an audience gathered at the Australian Student Equity Symposium in Sydney, Australia’s education minister Jason Clare said ATEC will ensure long-term reform of the sector and prevent policy momentum from being lost to shifting political cycles.

Clare said reform agendas often lose focus when governments or ministers change. “Almost always, when a big piece of thinking is done to reform or transform a part of the economy, governments will pick off parts of it and then the caravan moves on,” he said.

“I want to make sure that’s not the case here,” he said, reinforcing that ATEC will provide continuous oversight, keeping governments focused on both the unfinished business of the Accord and emerging sector challenges.

While the Accord laid the foundations, Clare stressed it cannot answer every question for the future. “The Accord is a product of a big piece of work in 2023 and it doesn’t necessarily have all the answers for 2030 or 2035,” he said. “This gives us a living process to constantly provide feedback… not just what haven’t we done in the Accord that we need to do, but what else should we be thinking of doing.”

ATEC will negotiate compacts with universities covering funding, purpose, and institutional mission. “At the nitty gritty level, it’s about money, but it’s also about purpose and focus,” said Clare.

“In the future, we do have an ecosystem which looks different than it does today, not worse, better, but different and potentially a little bit more specialised.”

ATEC will also play a central role in Australia’s international education sector, according to assistant minister for international education Julian Hill.

Speaking at the Education Consultants Association of Australia, Hill said the Commission will oversee mission-based compacts requiring institutions to outline their own strategies for international enrolments, rather than imposing one-size-fits-all caps.

Institutions will need to show how they are diversifying, how they’re contributing to national priorities, and how their growth is sustainable
_{Jason Clare, education minister}

“Institutions will need to show how they are diversifying, how they’re contributing to national priorities, and how their growth is sustainable,” said Hill.

The Commission will monitor reliance on specific markets, regional provision, student housing, and overall sustainability, ensuring international growth aligns with broader national objectives.

ATEC is currently operating in an interim capacity and, subject to the passage of legislation, is expected to be fully operational by 2026. The Commission is designed to support a more coordinated and sustainable higher education system, ensuring that reforms progress steadily and that institutions balance domestic and international priorities in line with national policy objectives.

September 11, 2025 — 

The Digital Literacies Lab in the Faculty of Education, in collaboration with the Media Lab in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba, presents a hybrid speaker series (in-person and online) that will explore the potential and ethical challenges of generative artificial intelligence technologies in education, and the role of digital literacies in this context.

Through engaging talks and workshop-style discussions, this series aims to foster critical dialogue, inspire innovation, and support educators, researchers, and students in navigating the evolving role of AI in teaching, learning, and educational policy. Join us as we delve into opportunities and complexities of artificial intelligence and the role of digital literacies in education and beyond.

Join in-person viewing in the Digital Literacies Lab (RM 328, Education Building) or the Faculty of Arts Media Lab (233 University College) with post-workshop discussions.

All workshops will be streamed on Zoom, with three of the four presenters joining online. Complete event information for each workshop and registration for online viewing can be found here.

Workshops include: 

Sept 23 (6:00pm – 7:30pm) – “Generative AI: Implications and Applications for Education” with Bill Cope & Mary Kalantzis

Oct 21 (6:00pm – 7:30pm) – “The End of the World as We Know It? AI, Post-Literate Society and Education” with Allan Luke

November 25 (6:00pm – 7:30pm) – “Assessment Literacy in the Age of AI” with Michael Holden (in person presentation at 328 Education building)

Dec 2 (6:00pm – 7:30pm) – “Digital Literacies as Literacies of Repair” with Rodney H. Jones

Krystal Stigander