"Education is the passport to the future, because tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today", with this quote from civil rights activist Malcom X, moderator host Ngozi Edeagu concluded the conference debates. At the conference "Innovative Education: Building Bridges for a Better Future" conference organised by the Alumniportal, alumni and education experts spent two days in November discussing current challenges and innovative approaches in presentations, network meetings and workshops. The common goal: to promote inclusive education.
Global differences in education systems and affirmative action
The requirements and educational systems differ greatly from country to country, as the keynote speech by Indian activist Raju Kendre impressively demonstrated. He discussed the situation in the USA, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and India. In all of these countries, affirmative action is used to try and eliminate disadvantages in society. Affirmative action means that targeted advantages for disadvantaged groups are used to eliminate their discrimination. Some also refer to the model as positive discrimination. The idea is based on the quote from Malcolm X who said education is the passport to the future.
Raju Kendre is currently conducting research at the Georg August University in Göttingen, Lower Saxony. He is a scholarship holder of the German Chancellor Scholarship Programme of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for prospective leaders from India. The focus of his research work in Germany is a comparison of the science systems in India and Germany. The 31-year-old, who comes from an Indian village, is a pedagogue, social entrepreneur and activist. He founded the Eklavya India Foundation, which aims to give young people from disadvantaged social groups access to higher education.
Equal opportunities through government support
Kendre spoke about the impact of government support on diversity, equality and inclusion. He looked at the situation in different countries: The US, for example, where higher education is becoming more diverse. Or in Germany, where immigrants and refugees are being integrated into the education system. He also reported on the education situation in India, where the old caste system still leads to discrimination. Throughout the world, affirmative action aims to eliminate discrimination by providing benefits. India, for example, has the oldest affirmative action programme in the world. The state gives the most disadvantaged groups seats in parliament, government jobs, university places and access to higher education.
Challenges and visions for inclusive education
Kendre's keynote speech focused on how government efforts in education can create equal opportunities for all, regardless of background. But he also highlighted the injustices that still exist. For example, he believes that Indians living in the US receive better support there than in their home country. He believes that the widespread poverty in India could be overcome through quality education. To this end, Kendre is working on a vision for a new interdisciplinary university in central India that would be accessible to previously marginalised social groups. Kendre's educational philosophy is therefore influenced by his background. His career path is an example of the opportunities created by quality education. He also emphasised the importance of parents, who can play a major role in their children's academic success, even if they are economically disadvantaged.
Artificial intelligence as an opportunity for the educational landscape
In a subsequent panel discussion, the conference continued with the question of how to address existing inequalities in education. The focus was not on funding programmes, but on the opportunities offered by new technologies such as artificial intelligence. Moderator Ngozi Edeagu, from Nigeria, is an education expert herself and a member of the management team of HundrED, an organisation that seeks and investigates innovation in education. Edeagu pointed out that at HundrED's Global Collection 2025 awards, held just before the conference, the majority of the 100 most impactful innovations in education had a focus on technology and AI.
Education as a privilege: Global perspectives on digital education
The panellists were Virna Julisa López Castro from Honduras, Diana Knodel from Germany and Chinedu Isagbah from Nigeria. All three are exploring the possibilities of digital technologies in education in their home countries. Virna Julisa López Castro is a professor at UNAH University in Honduras, where she is involved in various research projects. Diana Knodel founded the startup fobizz and App Camps, which aim to bring AI and digital tools into schools. And Chinedu Isagbah is the founder of the Greater Nigeria Initiative, which aims to improve education in Nigeria through various initiatives and projects.
He is also an education expert at Isagbah is also and Programme Manager at CAIN Educational Foundation. The foundation supports underprivileged children in Nigeria. In his presentation, he described the existential problems in his country caused by lack of access to education: 10.2 million children of primary school age and a further 8.1 million children of secondary school age are not enrolled in school. He sees this as an existential threat to Nigeria's progress and stability. He told us how he is trying to tackle the problem through a community-led approach. Mayors or village heads, religious leaders and parents are involved in removing barriers to students' learning. This includes, for example, ensuring that children in rural areas have access to school and that their parents allow them to attend. In a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country like Nigeria, education is often difficult. He has had to step on some toes to make progress.
Digital education in Germany: lack of IT skills in schools
On the panel, Diana Knodel described different problems in the German education system. Through her company App Camps, she is trying to bring IT skills into schools. Knodel organises online training courses for teachers. She is trying to get more programming and computer science into German schools. There are still very few women working in technology in Germany. "Although Germany is a country of engineers, it lags behind when it comes to technology in the education system," says the entrepreneur. Even in a highly developed country like Germany, not every child has access to a computer. She is trying to promote the digitalisation of classrooms. It is important to start with the teachers, for example with training.
Gender inequality: educational barriers for girls in Honduras
The third panellist, Virna Julisa López Castro, highlighted the differences between countries and continents when it comes to education. A professor at the National University of Honduras, she described how, in her country, men are preferred to women in education. Although girls are allowed to attend primary school, they drop out and have to work much more often than boys. In Honduras, this unequal treatment continues throughout a person's educational career. "Being a woman is the factor that most restricts access to higher education in Honduras," says López Castro. So it's not about talent, it's about gender.
Promoting critical thinking in the age of AI
The three panelists discussed access to education based on the very different conditions in their countries. While in Nigeria there is a fundamental struggle for children's access to the school system, in Honduras discrimination against girls is a key issue, and in Germany inequality in technical equipment. Despite the stark differences, all three panellists addressed the question of whether computer technology or AI could become a silver bullet - or whether, on the contrary, too much reliance on them could create new problems. Diana Knodel called for critical thinking to continue to be taught in the age of AI. Learners - especially students - need to question information more than ever. López Castro from Honduras was in full agreement. She urges her students to question everything. Looking at the situation in Nigeria, Isagbah cautioned that the use of AI is often not yet an issue in Nigeria, where the digital literacy rate is less than 50 percent. But AI could also be a useful learning companion.
Digital tools and global education initiatives for a better future
In addition to the inspiring keynote speech and the panel discussion, the workshop "Inclusive and Digital Education Solutions" in cooperation with the isa Alumni Network on the second day of the conference provided a platform for developing practical approaches to promoting inclusive education. In several working groups, participating experts from different countries discussed key challenges and possible solutions using digital technologies.
For example, the lack of digital infrastructure and high costs in many regions were addressed. Participants suggested promoting investment in digital classrooms and offline learning platforms through public-private partnerships. The need for comprehensive teacher training and the integration of digital literacy into the curriculum was highlighted. . For example, in the working group on "Opportunities and challenges in integrating digital tools in environmental education", chaired by Mmachukwu Obimdiki. Fundamental problems in African countries played a role there. Obimdiki is currently a student at the University of Greifswald. She is from Nigeria and sees difficult conditions for digitisation, as in other African countries. Obimdiki asks how technology can help rural areas progress when there is no electricity or internet to power the devices. She believes that a financial effort is needed to make progress in this area: There is an urgent need to invest in hardware and software, she said. Just as the climate conference in Baku agreed to help developing countries fight climate change, so too must digitalisation.
The conference showcased how alumni, as education experts, are developing innovative approaches around the world to improve educational opportunities and promote sustainable development. From inspiring presentations to hands-on workshops, it was clear that global cooperation and the targeted use of digital tools are key to inclusive education.
With this event, the Alumniportal Deutschland and the isa Alumni Network have created a valuable space for the exchange of ideas. The outcomes of the conference not only provide impetus for possible educational initiatives, but also send a strong signal: education is the enabler for a fairer and more sustainable world - and each of us can contribute to building bridges. You can read the results of the working groups in detail here.