Insights: December 2023

The end of the month, and the end of term – here’s all the key edtech takeaways we saw throughout December.

Minimum Service Levels (MSL)

Just a few days before the start of this month, the Union talks with the Department for Education about Minimum Service Levels (MSL) for striking workers on strike days in education came to an end, without an agreement.

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, commented:

We have an education system on its knees. A deep recruitment and retention crisis, rocketing workloads and falling pay. And thanks to underfunding we have the largest primary class sizes in Europe and secondary class sizes are the highest since records began more than forty years ago. This is clearly unsustainable, but the Government is indifferent to the enormous challenges facing schools and colleges. On the evidence of last week’s Autumn Statement, they have given up.

The proposed MSLs are an affront to those who democratically and legally vote for strike action, forcing a large proportion to go into work on strike days.

80% of students agree technology supports educational access

The College Innovation Network (CIN), a grant-funded initiative spearheaded by WGU Labs, shared the results of its 2023 CIN Student EdTech Survey, identifying four key takeaways:

●      First-generation college students exhibit a nearly 10% higher inclination towards online learning, underscoring the necessity for tech-driven educational models. 

●      While tech access and digital literacy are advancing, two-thirds of students express tech fatigue.

●      Over 80% of students affirm the effectiveness of online courses. However, a preference for in-person learning persists, highlighting the need for quality enhancements in digital education.

●      80% of students, particularly first-generation learners, affirmed that technology eased access to crucial educational supports like tutoring and mental health services.

Social mobility and inequality of access

Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, commented on new research which explored the extent to which the talent of high-potential disadvantaged young people is being wasted due to inequalities in society and education:

Children experiencing hardship and poverty face particular barriers to accessing education.

Our members see this every day in their schools. In a recent survey 78% of teachers told us that they or their school is providing help with uniforms for disadvantaged pupils, as well as 58% providing extra food during the day.

“It shouldn’t fall on teachers or schools to be providing support where there are huge gaps in social provision. Education is an entitlement that should be accessible to all, regardless of economic fortunes or prior attainment… Support must be available to all schools and all disadvantaged children, not just those with high prior attainment.

The role of education in the climate crisis

The 28th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) held in Dubai saw leaders of the SDG4 Youth & Student Network explore the key role education plays in the climate crisis.

Kenisha Arora, High-Level Steering Committee (HLSC) youth and student representative and SDG4 Youth & Student Network Executive Committee member, commented:

The Global Youth Engagement Indicator is the first of its kind in the SDG framework and will work to ensure that young people are not only at the table where decisions are being made but also position young people as equal partners in the global education movement.

At the Transforming Education Summit, we saw young people at the forefront of this movement leading in conversations, policy dialogues, and at the grassroots level. In just two years, we've [the SDG4 Youth & Student Network] made great strides to increase youth engagement.

UNESCO centre promotes STEM education for developing countries

The UNESCO IISTEM in Shanghai announced a new global category 1 institute aimed at boosting cooperation in STEM education, with a focus on supporting developing countries.

Shahbaz Khan, representative of UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia, commented on STEM education contributing to economic growth and development:

IISTEM is established to respond to the growing demand for STEM education, especially in Africa," he said. "It will function as a hub for international exchange, offering a repository of cutting-edge resources and best practices in STEM education.

The education disadvantage gap: Reducing child poverty

The Education Policy Institute's second and final instalment of their 2023 Annual Report this month drew particular focus to the attainment gap for students in 16-19 education.

Kebede commented:

Thirteen years of Conservative rule equate to thirteen disastrous years in education policy. 

Education should be about levelling the playing field for every child regardless of their background to ensure they get an equal chance in life… The situation for students from disadvantaged backgrounds is worsening, and the decimation of services makes the dream of a level playing field all the more distant.

Schools and colleges do all they can to support those students who are most in need but a teacher recruitment and retention crisis alongside inadequate funding and support services make this task all the harder.

Right now, 4.2 million children in the UK are growing up in poverty. The cost-of-living crisis alongside Government policies such as the two-child benefit cap have plunged the equivalent of 9 children in every class of 30 into poverty.  

Reducing child poverty must be at the centre of any credible plan to deliver good educational and life outcomes for more young people.