The Salzburg Statement for Education Transformation
A GLOBAL MOMENT FOR EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION
CASE FOR ACTION
Education leaders, policymakers, and
they have created opportunities for profound education changes. These crises have
funders in every context are making
clarified paramount lessons about equity and access, and have highlighted the
decisions about how to transform
importance of technology in providing learning continuity. They have showed how
learning and education. This moment
vital it is to engage students, teachers, parents and caregivers, and communities
offers an unparalleled opportunity to step back, ask big questions, and think differently about what to aim for and how to get there.
The COVID-19 pandemic and multiple societal and ecological crises in recent years have revealed the crucial importance of education around the world. What is more,
in school, and provided further evidence that fostering self-knowledge, learning the skills to manage relationships, regulate emotions, appreciate differing perspectives and building resilience are just as important as literacy and numeracy. These crises have showed us how our education systems can evolve, and ultimately transform, to support all students to thrive.
A growing global consensus for education transformation is emerging to prepare young people for their futures and our sights need to be set on transformation, not reform. While reform starts with processes and improves the system, transformation
EDUCATION FUTURES: SHAPING A NEW EDUCATION STORY In May 2022, 51 Salzburg Global Fellows from 20 countries came together to ask bold and challenging questions about education: •
What kind of societies are we aiming for and how could transformed education systems help us to get there?
•
What would an education system look like that supported all learners to build the capabilities, skills and knowledge they need to transform the world?
begins with values and mindsets and changes the purpose of the system.
•
What do we need to change within ourselves to facilitate this process?
Reform results in a better version
•
What are the conversations and questions that are required to initiate long-term transformation?
of existing systems; transformation results in different systems. To equip every young person to thrive throughout life, we must focus on
The first output of this collective effort is the following call to action for policymakers, learners, educators, and parents to intervene in education systems to bring about fundamental and lasting transformations. This is not a blueprint
transformation and less on reform and
as every system will transform in different ways, but this is a call for everyone
incremental improvement.
who has power, agency and voice to use it to build the education systems that
Salzburg Global Fellows from the May 2022 program Education Futures: Shaping A New Education Story leaned into global research by Big
are needed for human and planetary flourishing this century. •
that will help all young people thrive and become active citizens. •
left out of the process.
new-education-story/) and UNESCO’s en.unesco.org/futuresofeducation). The reports act as starting points to ask the right questions. Contextualizing and identifying actions is a collective effort.
SalzburgGlobal.org
If you have power, agency and voice, acknowledge that this will be different to other people’s and use your opportunities to include those who might be
Change (https://big-change.org/ Futures of Education initiative (https://
If you have power, agency and voice, use it to advocate for the kind of education
•
If you work in government or education networks, recommit to the achievement of SDG 4.7 to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
The Salzburg Statement for Education Transformation was jointly drafted in English by Salzburg Global Fellows.