About
As education systems navigate the twin pressures of rapid technological advancement and growing instability, bold and collaborative action is essential. To help meet this challenge, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and EdTech Hub have launched an exciting three-year partnership under IDRC’s EmpowerED programme. Our shared goal: to strengthen the capacity of governments — and those who support them — to anticipate and respond to the complex disruptions and innovations shaping the future of education.
EdTech Hub is leading the global component of this initiative, where we will:
- Deepen understanding of how AI and conflict and crises may affect education systems over the next 10 years.
- Surface practical, evidence-informed strategies for governments and their partners to build stronger, more resilient systems through mixed-methods research.
- Synthesise and strategically disseminate findings — from our own work and across the EmpowerED portfolio — to ensure research is timely, actionable, and impactful at the policy and systems level.
This effort is grounded in close collaboration not only between IDRC and EdTech Hub, but also with an outstanding group of regional and country-level partners — including Fundación Ceibal, ESSA, ADEA, LIRNEasia, mPower, FIT-ED, the Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences (VNIES), and CDRI — each of whom is leading complementary research and capacity-strengthening efforts within their regions.
This work, along with our broader regional collaborations with IDRC, will help drive forward critical evidence-based knowledge sharing and guidance for the education sector — and beyond.
We look forward to creating shared impact through this dynamic partnership. Our first contribution to the sector under the EmpowerED programme is a spotlight on the key trends likely to shape education systems over the next decade, drawn from a strategic foresight process we led earlier this year. Strategic scenario planning today can help us build a more equitable future for all learners.
The Big Challenge
Millions of children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain underserved despite growing investment in educational technology. Evidence shows that interventions such as differentiated instruction, teacher coaching, and family engagement can improve learning outcomes — but a critical gap remains: governments often lack the practical guidance and capacity to turn this evidence into national strategy, policy, and system-wide implementation.
Addressing this gap is more urgent than ever. In 10 years’ time, two transformative forces have the potential to reshape how children learn and teachers teach in LMICs:
One is artificial intelligence (AI). According to a World Bank study, the top 40 generative AI tools attract 3 billion visits per month, from hundreds of millions of users.
Another is the increase in global conflict and crises. UNICEF has highlighted that 242 million students suffered school disruptions due to climate events in 2024, and UNHCR have highlighted that 7.2 million refugee children — nearly half of the total — are out of school.
Learn More About Activities Led by Regional and Country Partners under EmpowerED
- Building EdTech Research Coordinating Capacity of African Ministries of Education – led by ADEA, ESSA, and EdTech Hub
- Title of LAC project – led by Fundacion Ceibal
- Title of Sri Lanka project – led by LIRNEAsia
- Title of Vietnam project – led by VNIES
- TItle of Bangladesh project – led by mPower
- Title of Cambodia project – led by CDRI
- Title of Philippines project – led by FIT-ED
Key Themes in Our Work
- AI
- Climate Emergencies
- Education in Emergencies
Through EmpowerED, we wanted to contribute to the challenges facing education from a perspective that combined three key elements in the best possible way: 1) a focus on educational policy in low- and middle-income countries and the needs of those who design and implement it, allowing them to define the terms of use beyond market pressures and the buzz of the latest technology; 2) promoting informed policy discussion always based on the best evidence — that which is not only reliable but also adapted to and aware of local needs and conditions; and 3) taking a long-term view, not just looking at immediate concerns, to understand how emerging trends might shape public education over time.
— Florencio Ceballos, Senior Program Specialist, Education and Science Division, IDRC-CRDI
Planned Activities
Dissemination of foresight study findings and stakeholder reflection
Sharing insights on emerging trends, scenarios, and opportunities with policymakers, practitioners, and other partners to inform decision making.
Launch implementation of four global research studies
Each study will address a critical question related to AI or Education in Crisis and Conflict (EiCC), education, and system-level capacity. Summaries of the four research studies include:
- AI in Education Service Delivery investigates How can LMIC governments leverage AI to improve the effectiveness of education service delivery at the system-level?
- The Influence of Private Sector AI in Education investigates How can LMIC governments, as the primary provider of public education for their citizens, mitigate against undue influence and control through AIEd from global EdTech private sector (including Big EdTech), whilst leveraging the potential benefits of their enhancements in education?
- Learning Continuity in EiCC investigates How can governments build the capacity to design and lead effective blended learning responses to ensure learning continuity in the context of crisis and conflict?
- Cross-border Accreditation in EiCC investigates How can governments most effectively utilise technology to enable seven efforts and remove barriers to build cross-border accreditation and certification for externally displaced learners?
Synthesis and dissemination of cross-regional learning
Drawing on capacity-strengthening efforts led by regional initiatives and EdTech Hub’s own global evidence base, we will synthesise, share, and facilitate reflection and uptake of practical lessons to guide policy and program design across LMIC education systems.
Together with IDRC, we are excited to make meaningful contributions toward shaping the future of education in an increasingly complex world. As AI, conflicts, and crises reshape the landscape, our collective efforts will support governments, educators, and communities to build resilient education systems that are adaptable, inclusive, and future-ready,” EdTech Hub Executive Director Verna Lalbeharie. “This is more than just research — it’s a call to action for transformative change, rooted in evidence and collaboration, to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
— Verna Lalbeharie, Executive Director, EdTech Hub
For more information about EmpowerED, please visit:
https://idrc-crdi.ca/en/initiative/empowered-technology-inclusive-education
