Research Seminar: Education and massification

This talk looks at the global phenomenon of the massification of education demographically, politically, economically and socially. The forecast for the next decades and the type of demographic growth the planet is expecting, particularly in Africa, add important dimensions of analysis to the discussion.

We will look at how this massification has put a strain on national and private education systems. The talk will discuss the rhetoric that accompanies these funnelling exercises, often disingenuous and constructed as an excuse for systems that, essentially, can no longer cope with the breadth and volume of human demand.

Recent forms of access to technology will be investigated as potential levers for massification.

Biography

Conrad Hughes: Educator, author

Conrad Hughes designs and implements educational systems for the future

Conrad Hughes (PhD, EdD) is Campus and Secondary Principal at the International School of Geneva, La Grande Boissière, the oldest international school in the world where he also teaches philosophy. He holds two doctorates.

Hughes led two major projects with UNESCO-IBE to rethink the guiding principles for learning in the 21st Century and preventing violent extremism through education. He has published three books on different aspects of 21st Century learning. Understanding Education and Prejudice (2017) looks at how schools and universities can reduce prejudicial thinking in students and instructors; in Educating for the 21st Century (2019), he investigates how educational systems can address societal challenges such as sustainability, the rise of AI, post-truth politics, mindfulness and future-proof knowledge. His latest book, Education and Elitism (2021), discusses how access to high quality education can be widened.

Hughes has implemented these ideas on the ground in his school and through open-access online lessons, touching the lives of thousands of people.

Dr Hughes is a member of the advisory board for the University of the People, senior fellow of UNESCO's International Bureau of Education and research assistant at the University of Geneva's department of psychology and education. He is a regular contributor to the World Economic Forum’s Agenda blog and speaks in conferences across the globe.

Contact ed.research@durham.ac.uk for more information about this event.