Implementing effective reskilling and upskilling: learning programmes for older adults, research report

April 2026 | UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning

As populations around the world continue to age at an unprecedented pace, societies face both new challenges and new opportunities. Older adults are living longer, healthier lives, yet they still encounter barriers to full social and economic participation. Supporting their aspirations to engage, contribute and grow requires education systems that are not only inclusive but also responsive to their diverse and evolving needs.

Our Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey marks one year in office – one year of impact

1 April 2026 | Commonwealth Secretariat

One Year of Action. One Commonwealth. Today, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon Shirley Botchwey, marks one year in office. Over the past 12 months she has delivered major milestones, including the Commonwealth Strategic Plan 2025–2030 and the first-ever Commonwealth Business Summit, and her proposed reforms and pathways for Commonwealth renewal have been emphatically endorsed. And just last month she saw her vision of a Commonwealth Day celebrated in every Commonwealth member country come to pass. 

Youth shape the road to 2030, call for urgent action on sustainable development

15 April 2026 | UN News

Young leaders, innovators and advocates from around the world are gathering at UN Headquarters in New York until Thursday for the 2026 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum. The event aims to advance innovative solutions to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Held under the theme Innovate, Unite and Transform: Youth Shaping the Road to 2030, the forum reaffirms young people as essential partners in building a sustainable, inclusive and resilient future.

Digital Competence, AI and Sustainable Social Transitions: An Ibero-American Framework for Hybrid Human–AI Societies

2 April 2026 | World special issue: AI-Powered Horizons: Shaping Our Future World

The accelerated expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping economic systems, labour markets and democratic life, giving rise to hybrid human–AI societies. In this context, education becomes a strategic arena for enabling sustainable and socially just transitions within the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This article examines how digital competence can be reconceptualized to prepare future citizens and educators for these emerging societal configurations, with particular attention to the Ibero-American context.

GOB rolls out education plan with $300 million budget commitment

15 April 2026 | Greater Belize Media

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology has launched its Belize Education Sector Plan 2.0, which sets out the changes expected for the next four years to improve schools from primary right through to university. The plan, which covers 2026 to 2030, comes at the start of a new fiscal year in which the government has allocated approximately $300 million to the education sector as detailed in its recent national budget.

Gov’t advancing major expansion of technical and vocational education and training

9 April 2026 | Jamaica Information Service

The Government is advancing a major expansion of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as part of its push to transform and future proof Jamaica’s education system. The initiative was underscored by Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford, during the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Education Conference, being held at the Princess Hotel in Hanover from April 7 to 9 under the theme ‘Future Proofing Education in Times of Crisis: Advancing STEAM and TVET to Sustain Innovation, Resilience and Recovery’.

SVG demands priority in practice for SIDS at UNESCO 224th Session

14 April 2026 | St Vincent Times

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has officially taken its seat on the UNESCO Executive Board, using its inaugural address to call for urgent financial reforms, improved organizational accountability, and a tangible commitment to supporting Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Addressing the Chairperson and the Director-General, Hon. Lavern King emphasized that the nation’s election comes at a time of “rising conflict, profound global uncertainty, climate pressures, and declining confidence in multilateralism”.

Strength­en­ing qual­ity in Eswat­ini’s higher edu­ca­tion through micro-cre­den­tials

14 April 2026 | Times of Eswatini

The Eswat­ini Higher Edu­ca­tion Coun­cil (ESHEC), in col­lab­or­a­tion with the Com­mon­wealth of Learn­ing (COL), recently con­vened a two-day work­shop to develop a micro-cre­den­tials frame­work, mark­ing a decis­ive step toward strength­en­ing the qual­ity and respons­ive­ness of the coun­try’s higher edu­ca­tion sys­tem. The engage­ment brought together key stake­hold­ers from industry, higher edu­ca­tion insti­tu­tions, reg­u­lat­ory bod­ies, and gov­ern­ment, under­scor­ing a shared national com­mit­ment to ensur­ing that edu­ca­tion remains aligned with the evolving needs of the eco­nomy.

Building TVET Systems for Economic Transformation in Ghana

February 2026 | African Centre for Economic Transformation

Supporting young people to acquire professional skills through technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is a key element of successful development in African countries. TVET systems are essential for addressing skills gaps, promoting inclusive growth, and enhancing productivity in emerging economies. Effective TVET programs can contribute to poverty reduction, social inclusion, and sustainable development by providing pathways to decent work and livelihoods.

Government progressing toward the introduction of a national digital education policy – Haruna Iddrisu

16 April 2026 | Rainbow Radio Online, Ghana

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that the government is progressing toward the introduction of a national digital education policy designed to strengthen learning across all levels of basic education. This initiative forms part of a broader effort to assess and systematically address the digital requirements of students nationwide. According to the Minister, this assessment is already underway, specifically targeting learners from preschool and kindergarten through to Junior High School.

Canada launches national initiative to build large-scale AI supercomputing capacity

15 April 2026 | Government of Canada

Canada is launching a national effort to build one of the most advanced artificial Intelligence (AI) supercomputing systems, ensuring Canadian researchers, innovators and institutions have the computing power they need to innovate, compete and lead. The Government of Canada is launching the call for applications for the AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program, supported by historic investments announced in Budget 2024 and Budget 2025.  This program, part of the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, will enable the development of large-scale, Canadian-based compute infrastructure to advance AI research and innovation, while safeguarding Canada’s national interests.

The Malaysian Education and Learning Summit charts the future of AI-ready talent for Malaysia’s digital economy

16 April 2026 | The Star

The Malaysian Education and Learning Summit (MELS) has convened over 150 key stakeholders across the education, technology and industrial sectors. Organised by the KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific, the summit was held in collaboration with the Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (Mapcu) and the National Association of Private Educational Institutions (Napei), whose invaluable support was instrumental in the event’s success.

18 percent youth unemployment concerns Fiji

14 April 2026 | FBC News, Fiji

Fiji is facing growing concern over youth unemployment, which has reached 18 percent, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen skills development and job creation for young people. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka stressed the importance of equipping young people with practical skills to improve employability and encourage entrepreneurship.

AI is the calculator of our era

14 April 2026 | London School of Economics Blog

A familiar story sits at the origin of many technology debates in education. In Plato’s Phaedrus, Socrates worries that writing would create the appearance of wisdom without genuine understanding. Two millennia later, engineering schools fought over calculators and then computers. When slide rules disappeared, curricula shifted towards modelling and judgement. Students still needed numerical fluency, but assessment stopped rewarding arithmetic and started testing the ability to structure thinking and interrogate computational tools.

Register for COL's upcoming webinars

https://www.col.org/webinars

The Commonwealth of Learning is offering a series of engaging webinars this week:

• Building climate-ready green skills: Empowering women and girls for a resilient future

• Connections across the curriculum: Is math an English language problem?

• Best practices for AI-enabled OER in Nigerian higher education

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from experts and connect with a global community. If you’re unable to attend live sessions, recorded content may be uploaded to our YouTube channel at a later date. 

Apply to join COL’s Chairs Programme in 2026

Submission deadline: 30 April 2026 | Commonwealth of Learning

COL has launched a new call for applications for its COL Chairs Programme. Through this initiative, COL appoints distinguished experts from across the Commonwealth to advance research, innovation and thought leadership in its areas of competence. Established in 2010, the programme supports the development of effective Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Technology-Enabled Education and training through advocacy, research and capacity building across the Commonwealth.