Qingdao Declaration: Seize digital opportunities, lead education transformation

The Qingdao Declaration on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education was approved at the conclusion of the conference on ICT for the 2030 Education Agenda held in Qingdao, China. This declaration is the first global declaration on ICT in education which outlines how technology can be used to achieve educational targets for equity, access, quality and lifelong learning in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will be used to coordinate international development for the next 15 years. The text highlights the different ways in which technology can support the global agenda for education suggested at the World Education Forum for the next 15 years. To achieve the goal of Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Lifelong Learning by 2030, ICT must be harnessed to strengthen education systems, knowledge dissemination, information access, quality and effective learning, and more efficient service provision. The Declaration recommends that UNESCO support international cooperation in this field by establishing a clearing house on good practices and lessons learned concerning technology-supported innovations in education. The creation of a global network of expertise and knowledge-sharing on ICT in education which would serve the needs of three different user communities, namely policy-makers, researchers, and teachers. It would support further consultation and dialogue between governments and the private sector to design scalable innovative funding mechanisms to secure the financial resources needed to unleash the full potential of ICT for learning in line with the 2030 education agenda.