Re-building an inclusive and equitable society through education

Ensuring resilient and equitable education systems build the foundations of inclusive and equitable societies

Chair: Ola Borten Moe, Minister of Research and Higher Education, Norway

Room CC1

Education and skills have the potential to build strong foundations for cohesive democratic societies and to contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic and social development. Achieving equity within education and skills systems is key to promoting equity in subsequent lifetime outcomes and social mobility, nurturing more inclusive and equitable societies. In addition, high-quality education builds individuals’ and societies’ resilience to adapt to change and respond creatively to disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, to address challenges such as climate change, and to make the most of opportunities such as the digital transformation.

• What knowledge, skills, attitudes and values are countries prioritising to build the foundations of inclusive and equitable societies and to empower resilient individuals to thrive in a green, digital and democratic world?
• How are countries leveraging synergies with other policy fields to ensure that education and training contribute to equitable, inclusive, sustainable and democratic societies?
• What type of partnerships between education, employers, trade unions and communities foster agile responses to the needs of all learners?
• How can countries further enhance the connections between education research, policy and practice to advance the role of education in building the foundations of inclusive and equitable societies?

For Ministers and Heads of Delegations, OECD Conference Centre, main steps

Strengthening equity and inclusion in and through education

Achieving equity within education and skills systems is a key precondition for achieving equity throughout an individual’s learning pathway, between individuals and across generations, and therefore for achieving more equitable and inclusive societies. Educational inequalities in initial education trigger inequalities in subsequent life outcomes (e.g., in learning, earnings, health, civic engagement and social capital) for different groups within society, but also persist across generations and dampen social mobility. The endeavour of strengthening equity and inclusion in and through education is increasingly benefitting from the opportunities provided by digital technologies to personalise learning. Furthermore, countries are more and more focussing on meeting learners’ cognitive, social and emotional needs as a strategy to create more inclusive learning environments.

1.    Equity and inclusion in education in a whole-person perspective

Chair: Sindre Lysø, State Secretary for the Minister of Education, Norway

Room CC15

• What have been the strategies in your country to raise educational and lifetime outcomes through more equitable education and training opportunities through the lifecycle, and how do you evaluate their impact?
• What have been successful strategies in countries to align resources with the needs of learners, including to expand participation in quality early childhood education and care for children from socio-economically disadvantaged families?
• How can the OECD support countries’ efforts to improve equity and inclusion in education through the lifecycle, including through monitoring progress and sharing best practices internationally?

2.    The role of digitalisation to strengthen relevance and inclusion in education

Chair: Jubum Na, Deputy Minister of Education, Korea

Room CC09

• How are countries building their evidence on the take-up and impact of digital learning technologies on learning and using it to support innovation and good practice in education and training institutions?
• What specific actions are countries taking to ensure digitalisation in education and training supports equity and inclusion and prepares all learners for a digital, green and democratic world?
• How can the OECD support countries’ efforts to close the gap between ambition, innovation, results, and social acceptance in the use of digital technologies in education, including through designing comprehensive policy ecosystems for effective digitalisation and fostering new forms of international co-operation?

3.    Meeting learners’ cognitive, social and emotional needs and rethinking schools’ organisation for relevance, equity and inclusion

Chair: João Costa, Minister of Education, Portugal 

Room CC13

• What focus – e.g. equal opportunities, differential support for learners, embracing diversity – and what relative emphases – e.g. personalised curriculum, digital curriculum, cross-curricular content and competency-base curriculum, and flexible curriculum – are being adopted in your country to foster equity in and through education?
• Where does your country locate ownership for curriculum design to enable learners to develop the cognitive, social and emotional skills they need to thrive in equitable and inclusive societies?
• How are education systems rethinking the development of learners to nurture socio-emotional well-being and sense of belonging throughout their lives? How can they support teachers and school leaders to develop their own understanding and capacities for social and emotional skills?
• How can the OECD support countries’ efforts to implement curricular reforms and introduce innovation in the organisation of education institutions to strengthen equity and inclusion?

Education for Sustainable Development: New Policies for New Challenges

Chair: Li Andersson, Minister of Education, Finland

Hosted by Greece

Room CC1

Sustainable development seeks to balance the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of development in a long-term and global perspective. In turn, education for sustainable development involves learning and educational activities that aim to empower individuals to become the central agents fostering sustainable development along dimensions such as sustainable production and consumption, greener net-zero economy, social cohesion, inter- and intra-generational equity and human rights. Recognising the inter-related nature of social challenges, climate change, and digital transformation, the discussion focusses on the role of education and skills in promoting environmental sustainability and supporting the green transition.

• How are educators prepared to enable all learners to confidently take action regarding environmental issues? What actions are being taken to support disadvantaged learners to develop environmental resilience?
• What adaptation policies and mitigation interventions in education are countries putting in place to support individuals in adjusting to the green transition, particularly the most vulnerable?
• How can the OECD support countries’ efforts to design policies and monitoring tools that ensure education and skills systems effectively contribute to equitable and inclusive green transition and sustainable development?

Supporting learning throughout life for an inclusive and equitable society

The rapid pace of change in today’s societies and the need to respond creatively to disruptions require flexible learning throughout life. This needs to be both lifelong – accessible to all at any age – and life-wide, promoting and recognising learning acquired outside of formal education systems. Lifelong learning starts in childhood and youth and continues throughout adulthood and old age. It involves formal learning in official settings like schools, higher education institutions or training centres, but also informal and non-formal learning, and unintentional learning derived from spontaneous social interactions. Ensuring equal opportunities to access quality education and training across all stages of life and all types of learning is essential to build inclusive and equitable societies. 

1.    Foundations for lifelong learning, from birth through work and beyond

Chair: Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education, USA

Room CC09

• How are countries shaping motivation for learning throughout life, developing initiative and capacity for self-directed learning, and forming the ability to shape own educational paths?
• What policy actions are countries implementing to ensure equitable opportunities for learning at all stages of life, including in terms of developing foundations for lifelong learning, offering diverse learning pathways, and empowering learners for further learning?
• How can the OECD support countries’ efforts to meet learners’ aspirations to learn throughout life, including in terms of indicators’ development and policy sharing?

2.    Integrating the world of learning with the world of work

Chair: Ola Borten Moe, Minister of Research and Higher Education, Norway

Room CC15

• How are countries using coordination – between ministries, across national and subnational authorities – and engagement with social partners and other non-government stakeholders to respond to evolving reskilling and upskilling needs and to remove barriers to participation in lifelong learning?
• What dedicated lifelong learning policies are countries using to protect the workers most vulnerable to the evolution of skill demand, including those with low levels of skills?
• How can the OECD support countries’ efforts to better integrate the world of learning with the world of work, including through promoting dialogue between the two sectors and policy sharing among countries?

3.   Alternative credentials and providers as drivers of inclusive lifelong learning and as an instrument to modernise education

Chair: João Costa, Minister of Education, Portugal

Room CC13

• How have countries modified their degree legislation, qualifications framework, or quality assurance system to incorporate micro-credentials and promote their stackability, portability and recognition by employers?
• Do countries have plans to use, or are using in effective ways, the potential of micro-credentials to support lifelong learning among vulnerable workers? Are there promising initiatives to support the wider use of skills-based hiring practices?
• How can the OECD support countries’ efforts to better adjust the education and skills policy framework to ensure alternative credentials and providers effectively contribute to lifelong learning and modernise education?

Guiding OECD’s future work on education and skills

Adoption of the draft Declaration on Building Equitable Societies through Education

Chair: Ola Borten Moe, Minister of Research and Higher Education, Norway

Room CC1