Going beyond 2030 and reimagining the Future of Education in South-East Europe

The digital age has revolutionised the way we communicate, share information and express opinions. While the internet offers tremendous opportunities for global connectivity, it has also become a breeding ground for hate speech, intolerance, and dis-, mal-, and misinformation. Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach, and education plays a crucial role in it. Beyond the traditional confines of classrooms, education is key to cultivating responsible and well-informed digital citizens who navigate the virtual realm with a heightened sense of awareness and discernment. 

To address the critical issues of opportunities and challenges of digital age, UNESCO, through the Antenna in Sarajevo of its Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, organised the Regional Educators’ Symposium on 20 April 2024. Titled “Re-imagining Education 2030: Teachers and Librarians Shaping the Future”, the symposium conveyed educators, school librarians, university professors and experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, to brainstorm ways to create a more constructive teaching environment in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Organised within the regional UN initiative “Youth 4 Inclusion, Equality and Trust,” this dynamic event delved into the multifaceted landscape of education in the digital era, under the overarching theme of “Opportunities and Challenges.” The symposium focused on the critical intersection of education and media and information literacy, providing a platform to address the pressing issues facing educators today. 

In particular, discussions centred on collaborative strategies to cultivate constructive learning environments, with an emphasis on the Western Balkans perspective. The gathering of teachers from the region represented the peak of activities in the project, as pointed out by Ana Milojevic, from the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade, one of the implementing partners.