11 July 2022, 07:30-08:45 New York time / 13:30-14:45 CEST | Registration
A side event organized by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Austria, Sao Tome and Principe

An educated population is key to transforming economies, building inclusive and peaceful societies, and ensuring the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources, that is, to bringing about the ultimate goals of Agenda 2030. As research highlights, the more skilled a country’s population is, the greater is its capacity to understand and process new information; to absorb, adapt and catalyse the technological advances that drive sustained long-term development;[1] and to be receptive to environmental and social challenges and seize green opportunities.

Quality education is critical for the advancement of science, technology and innovation (STI) in support of sustainable development.   A nation’s capacity to innovate and create is reliant on quality education as a core component of an IP and innovation ecosystem.

Today’s increasingly knowledge-intensive and technology-driven world calls for individuals who possess an array of cognitive, social and emotional skills combined with enterprising attitudes and entrepreneurial prowess.

Central to sustainable development is the development of individuals who can learn and, in turn, produce new knowledge and apply their competencies to foster innovation, equity and social cohesion. There are different routes to learning during the life span of an individual. However, schooling is a crucial one because it targets children and adolescents at the time when their neural circuits are most plastic, laying the foundation for later learning. Early learning leads to self-reinforcing motivation to learn more[2]. This implies that education programmes in K-12 schools and universities are key to building the seedbed of future innovators, entrepreneurs, workers, researchers and citizen.

From primary education onwards, nurturing inventive and creative thinking is likely to increase opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly among youth. Exposing future generations of inventors and creators to the fundamentals of intellectual property (IP) education and knowledge at a young age and promoting the understanding of how IP helps turn ideas into economic assets, increases prospects for business development, employment generation and economic growth.

Yet, differences in learning across and within countries are remarkable. International comparison based of the PISA test indicates that some 60 percent of the world’s secondary school students do not reach the minimum level of basic skills (level 1 of the PISA test) required to compete internationally[3]. Skill gaps are felt greatly in developing countries. Consequently, major changes in the quality of teaching must be introduced in schools to increase students’ learning outcomes and ability to learn.

Covid-19 has exacerbated existing educational gaps including because of lack of connectivity, lack of digital skills of learners and teaching staff, and lack of quality education resources.

Improvements in quality of teaching is a complex process, which will take time and substantial human and financial resources. Its urgency calls for losing no time and gathering practical experiences from public institutions and private stakeholders on ways to improve learning in schools and, by doing, so setting the pace for transformation of economies and societies.  Among other things, adoption of pedagogical processes and methodologies to the digital age is needed. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can empower teachers and learners of all ages, promote changes and innovation, and further increase student engagement. ICT-enhanced education environments can facilitate active, collaborative, creative, integrative, and evaluative learning.  Thus, digital skills assessment and development to facilitate digital learning should be considered as national priorities.  National policy and strategies are also needed to reduce operational costs for digital learning so it can be accessible to all.

This session seeks to stimulate discussions around the following topics:

• How development of entrepreneurial learning in schools contributes to broaden students’ perspective on how economies work and abilities to set their own goals and combine technical and social skills
• How modern digital technology can potentially help in building youth’s cognitive, technical, social and learning abilities and enhance quality of teaching and the role of non-state institutions (including the private sector) in developing educational technologies
• How IP learning at incremental pace can boost innovative and entrepreneurial capacity particularly among young people
• What else is needed to advance quality education for economic and digital transformation

The event contributes to the debate on how to improve quality of teaching (SDG4) as a means to socio-economic transformation of societies (SDG 9). It touches on partnership between state and non-state actors in education (SDG 17) and gender equality (SDG 5).

[1] Hanushek, E.A. and L. Woessmann. Education and Economic Growth in International Encyclopedia of Education (2010), vol.2, pp 245-252. 
[2] Heckmann, J.J. Skill Formation and Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children. Science, vol 312, 30 June 2006, pp. 1900-1902.
[3] Hanushek, E.A. and L.Woessmann. The Basic Skills Gap, IMF 26 April 2022. Retrieved on 6 May 2022 from www.imf.org/…