Observatory Talks

For two decades, we have believed that more screens mean more education. Frank Van Cappelle, UNICEF’s Global Lead for Digital Education, prefers to question that assumption. From Finland, where UNICEF’s Global Learning Hub is based, he warns that we have spent years digitising without learning very much. His prescription sounds simple: less technological fetishism, better-prepared teachers, and tools that can reach even places without internet access. He speaks of “offline” artificial intelligence and of restoring humanity to learning. His organisation does not aim to revolutionise everything, but rather to bring a bit of common sense back into the debate: technology should serve children, not the other way around.