Education World Forum Conversations

Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, OECD

In this kick-off episode of EWF Conversations, EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifirò speaks with Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills. They explore how education must evolve in an AI-driven world, where soft skills become essential, learning is lifelong, and academic and vocational paths converge. Andreas highlights the need to keep humanity and values at the heart of learning and celebrates educators’ passion and resilience, and emphasise the value of the Education World Forum as a platform for genuine dialogue between ministers and key stakeholders.

Kristina Kallas, Minister of Education and Research, Estonia

In this episode, Kristina Kallas, Estonia’s Minister of Education and Research, joins EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifiro to discuss the country’s education priorities and the policies driving them. She highlights the AI Leap initiative, which expands AI access for teachers and students and stresses the need for strong teacher training and bottom-up adoption. The conversation also covers recent reforms designed to improve students’ readiness for further education and the labour market, including extending compulsory schooling to age 18 and introducing an applied upper-secondary track. Kallas also underscores the value of EWF as a platform for exchanging insights with countries beyond Estonia’s usual networks.
 
 
 

Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation, Hungary

In the latest EWF Conversations episode, Fabrizio Trifirò speaks with Balázs Hankó, Hungary’s Minister of Culture and Innovation, about Hungary’s education priorities, reforms, and global challenges. Minister Hankó highlights the need to shift education from theory to practice, noting Hungary’s major VET reform introducing dual training. While global trends shape education, he argues that you need local answers, rooted in each nation’s cultural identity. If he could enact one bold global change, it would be fostering respect for different cultures and histories. He also reflects on the value of the Education World Forum in bringing together the global education ecosystem across all continents.

Yevhen Kudriavets, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Ukraine

In this episode, Yevhen Kudriavets, Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister of Education and Science, discusses the immense challenges the war has created for the country’s education system. He outlines the strategies that have enabled schools to operate amid disruption and ongoing security threats, and highlights initiatives to modernise the VET sector and strengthen preschool provision. Deputy Minister Kudriavets also reflects on the value of the Education World Forum as a platform for global exchange and cooperation, and shares his perspective on the unique responsibilities and pressures facing an education minister in wartime.

Anders Adlercreutz, Minister of Education, Finland

In this episode of EWF Conversations, EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifirò speaks with Finland’s Minister of Education, Anders Adlercreutz, about the key challenges and priorities shaping Finland’s education system, and their relevance for global education. Minister Adlercreutz reflects on the need to better support students navigating an increasingly digital world that places growing pressure on attention and wellbeing. He discusses recent reforms in Finland, including increased primary lesson hours for reading and writing, and the decision to restrict mobile phone use in classrooms to strengthen focus and social interaction. The conversation also explores Finland’s Competency Path, a digital service supporting lifelong learning through micro-credentials, the country’s human-centred approach to AI in education, and Finland continued commitment to equality in education and a highly qualified teaching workforce.

Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education, Kazakhstan

In this episode of EWF Conversations, EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifirò speaks with Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, about the key challenges and strategic priorities shaping the country’s education system today. Minister Nurbek discusses how Kazakhstan’s demographic growth is placing pressure on the system to expand capacity while maintaining quality, and outlines efforts to position the country as a regional education hub by attracting leading international universities and adopting global quality assurance frameworks. The conversation also explores Kazakhstan’s response to AI through the AI Sana programme, which makes AI training compulsory for all higher education students as part of a shift from AI consumers to AI creators.

Soon Joo Gog, Centre for Skills First Practices, Singapore University of Social Sciences

In this episode of EWF Conversations, EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifirò speaks with Soon Joo Gog, Fellow at the Centre for Skills First Practices and former Chief Skills Officer at SkillsFuture Singapore. The conversation offers a deep dive into how Singapore is reshaping its education and training ecosystem to keep pace with a rapidly changing world. The discussion opens with reflections on the SkillsFuture movement, launched in 2015 to ensure that everyone can benefit from economic growth by supporting a constantly evolving workforce. It then explores what it truly means to build a skills-first society, highlighting the critical role of employers in understanding how technology reshapes tasks and roles. The episode concludes with reflections on AI and lifelong learning, and what these shifts mean for the future of work and education

Stefania Giannini, Assistant-Director General Education, UNESCO

In this episode of EWF Conversations, EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifirò talks Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO and former Italian Minister of Education. Stefania reflects on UNESCO’s origins and its enduring mission to advance peace through education. Marking International Education Day, the discussion highlights the importance of placing young people at the centre of education policy and keeping education high on the global political agenda. Stefania reflects on the critical challenges for achieving SDG4 targets related to access, quality, and relevance, and emphasises the urgent need for increased investment in education, particularly to address the global teacher shortage. Stefania also reflects on the role of multilateral cooperation, the implications of AI for teaching and learning, and the need to rethink global education priorities beyond SDG4 toward a renewed, future-oriented global education narrative.

Siviwe Gwarube, Minister of Basic Education, South Africa

In this episode of EWF Conversations, EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifirò talks to Siviwe Gwarube, Minister of Basic Education of South Africa. Minister Gwarube reflects on the importance to reorient the national education system toward the foundations of learning and the priorities of South Africa’s G20 presidency, highlighting early childhood care and teacher professional development, She reflects on the critical challenges posed by limited funding for education, the value of EWF as a platform for sharing experiences and solutions, and the necessity for culturally sensitive international benchmarking. Minister Gwarube concludes by advocating for a systemic approach that integrates skills development and views education as a vital economic investment supporting children from birth to adulthood

Jacqui Smith, Minister for Skills, United Kingdom

In this episode of EWF Conversations, EWF Programme Director Fabrizio Trifirò talks to Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, UK Minister for Skills and Minister for Women and Equalities. Minister Smith reflects on the importance of addressing persistent skills gaps in the economy and the priority of tackling youth unemployment, highlighting the opportunities for widening access to education and training opened-up by the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. She reflects on the critical challenges posed by the financial sustainability of the higher education sector and initiatives are being put in place to support the sector, as well as the historical low status associated with vocational routes which the development of technical excellence colleges aim to address. Minister Smith also outlines the main ambitions behind the newly launched International Education Strategy and emphasise the value of EWF as a platform for sharing information and ideas with international colleagues. She concludes by advocating for a lifelong approach to education that builds the structures and finance necessary to enable people to upskill and learn throughout their lives.