In the face of the challenges of a rapidly transforming world—driven by the digital transition, climate change, and growing sustainability demands—it has become crucial to rethink the role of education as a driver of human progress and a response to rising uncertainty. This shift requires diverse engagement in reflection and action to redefine learner skills and stimulate real innovation in teaching and training practices across all educational levels—higher education, preschool, primary, secondary, and vocational. It will help prepare individuals to actively and responsibly contribute to their communities.
Skills that enable the ethical, relevant, and innovative use of technology are now essential, alongside those that promote understanding of sustainability principles and their application across disciplines to tackle environmental and social challenges. Flexible pedagogical strategies are therefore necessary—ones that promote a holistic approach and place the learner at the center of their education.
The fifth edition of the International Citizen Forum on Education and Interdisciplinary Research (FCIERI) is aligned with this vision, viewing digital innovation, sustainability, and interdisciplinarity as key levers for education adapted to 21st-century demands. Previous editions focused respectively on teacher training pedagogy (March 2017, Sfax), education system governance (March 2019, Hammamet), learner-centered education (November 2022, Hammamet), and challenges in teacher training and professional integration (April 2024, Sousse). In continuity with these, the upcoming FCIERI focuses on two major issues affecting education: the digital transition and sustainable development.
This fifth edition is structured as a space for reflection, analysis, and collective action. At its heart are education, training, and interdisciplinary research, while also upholding ethical values. The Forum will bring together researchers, teachers, decision-makers, and citizens from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. Through dialogue, it aims to build a rich and nuanced understanding of the challenges in ensuring quality education for all in a world undergoing digital and sustainable transformation. Professional and cross-sector collaboration will be a central feature. The collective reflection will lead to practical proposals that participants will be encouraged to explore in different contexts.
The 5th Forum focuses on the main challenges and issues facing education in the 21st century. It is structured around five interrelated thematic axes.
Main themes
Teaching aims not only to support knowledge acquisition and skills development but ultimately to shape learners into responsible citizens aware of their societal role. In today’s context, marked by rapid digital advances, teachers are tasked with equipping learners to use digital tools competently and ethically. This necessitates a critical look at how technology affects learning—especially its cognitive and psychological implications—and calls for collaborative efforts to create effective learning environments and to assess outcomes meaningfully.
Another key responsibility of contemporary education is to raise awareness of sustainable development challenges—resource depletion, poverty, environmental degradation—and to promote responsible global citizenship. Educators must foster openness to cultural diversity, acceptance of difference, and the development of intercultural competence.
This track explores how to prepare learners to meet the demands of digital and sustainable transitions, including the evolution of teacher roles, pedagogical approaches, and learning ecosystems suited to Generation Alpha.
Digital Competence in Teaching
- Pedagogical approaches for a digital transition
- Learning strategies adapted to digital tools
- Impact of digital use on learning outcomes
- Cognitive and psychological effects of digital tools on learners
- Assessment of learning in the digital age
- Artificial intelligence and learning
- Distance learning and teaching aids
- Interdisciplinary practices incorporating digital tools
- Professional and interprofessional collaboration using technology…
Skills for Sustainable Development
- Teaching with and for sustainable development
- Emerging competencies supporting the sustainability transition
- Roles of teachers, learners, and communities in sustainability
- Ethical challenges in teaching in the context of sustainability…
Digital Technology and Sustainability
- Contributions of digital tools to achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs)
- Impacts of digital tools and AI on civic life
- Digital and AI impacts on global health…
Intercultural Competence and Global Citizenship Education
- Global environmental challenges and sustainable practices
- Intercultural awareness and openness to diversity
- Development of intercultural skills
- Fostering global solidarity in the face of change…
Teachers stand at the frontlines of educational transformation. To meet the demands of a rapidly evolving world, their preparation must be both rigorous and forward-looking. Teachers must be trained to facilitate digital fluency in learners, navigate ethical issues in data use, and address disparities in access to technology. This includes both initial and continuing education, equipping teachers to manage digital learning environments, foster inclusive classrooms, and create engaging learning experiences.
Simultaneously, educators must also be able to guide learners in sustainable thinking and behavior. They need tools to raise awareness of environmental vulnerability and encourage critical thinking about viable actions.
This track challenges institutions to rethink how teachers are trained, supported, and equipped to lead change, while remaining grounded in the human values that define the profession.
Digital Transition in Initial Teacher Training
- Integration of educational technologies and use of online learning platforms
- Use of digital tools for interactive teaching
- Teaching and learning with AI and ChatGPT…
Digital Transition in Continuing Professional Development
- Support for early-career teachers
- Familiarization with emerging technologies
- Adapting to ongoing technological developments…
Challenges of Digitalization in Teacher Education
- Inequitable access to technology
- Impact of digitalization on teacher-student interaction
- Cognitive and psychological consequences for learners
- Academic freedom in the use of generative AI
- Data privacy and security…
Sustainability in Initial Teacher Education
- Integration of sustainability principles in curricula
- Awareness-raising strategies on environmental issues
- Pedagogical approaches aligned with sustainable development…
Sustainability in Continuing Teacher Education
- Supporting early-career teachers in the context of sustainability
- Knowledge of environmental issues
- Pedagogical approaches for promoting sustainability awareness
- Activities that foster learner accountability…
Challenges in Sustainable Education
- Shifts in educational practices
- Institutional and policy-related obstacles
- Interprofessional collaboration…
As the world undergoes rapid transformations—technological, ecological, and social—education systems must address how to ensure inclusivity and equity. The digital revolution and mass communication have reshaped perceptions of identity, while socio-economic disparities have widened.
Education must instill confidence, reduce gaps, and celebrate diversity. It must empower all learners, especially those with disabilities or special needs, by promoting adaptive teaching, embracing cultural pluralism, and addressing stereotypes and biases.
This track seeks to foster inclusive teaching that honors diverse identities and ensures every learner thrives.
Inclusive and Sustainable Digital Education
- Access and democratization of knowledge
- Attractive and inclusive learning environments
- Peer learning (“pairagogy”) for collective engagement
- Adaptive teaching and personalized learning support
- Teaching that affirms and values diversity
- Pedagogies that promote collective learner engagement
- Flexible delivery formats (online, in-person, hybrid)
- Digital technologies as enablers of inclusive education
- Teaching strategies for developing shared leadership
- Learners as change agents and responsible citizens…
Challenges of Digital and Sustainable Inclusion
- Ethical concerns around digital equity and inclusion
- Impact of biases and prejudices on learners’ academic paths
- Social background as a barrier or strength in learning
- Stereotyping and its effects on learner engagement
- E-gender issues and girls’ engagement in STEM
- Access to digital tools in underprivileged areas
- Innovative solutions for overcoming inclusion challenges
- Educational strategies to bridge the digital divide…
Digital tools, especially generative AI, have transformed educational research, enabling new methods for analyzing vast data sets and exploring the pedagogies best suited for sustainable education. Partnerships among researchers, practitioners, and citizens are now crucial to address the societal, economic, and political implications of education in transition.
This track highlights research collaborations that foster contextualized, interdisciplinary knowledge and enable the design of future-ready training programs. It also underscores the role of civic engagement in research and the ethical responsibilities of researchers.
Partnerships for Societal Development
- Integrating research findings into education
- Partnerships for curriculum adaptability in a changing world
- University networks for global solutions
- Contextualized and participatory research
- Competency development for emerging professions
- Promotion of research and innovation…
Research Management and Funding
- Support for partnered research in digital/sustainability transitions
- Eco-conscious research infrastructure and resources
- Policies for promoting sustainable research
- Regulation and governance of collaborative research…
Civic Participation in Research
- Citizen involvement for sustainable solutions
- Dissemination of research findings
- Participatory research to empower future citizens…
Challenges and Ethical Considerations
- Responsible AI use, data privacy and security
- Research integrity and partner interests
- Encouragement and institutional support for participatory research
- Research impact on society and the environment
- Ethics of research in the context of sustainability…
Education management plays a pivotal role in shaping society. Today, leaders must navigate the demands of digital innovation and sustainable development, from ministerial decision-making to institutional administration. Effective governance enhances the quality of education and fosters environments conducive to learning and innovation.
This track explores how to mobilize human and material resources, promote responsible digital innovation, and implement strategic plans that ensure educational quality and sustainability.
Policies and Strategies for Managing Digital and Environmental Challenges
- Educational policies to foster digital innovation
- Policies for advancing sustainability in education
- Efficient strategies for sustainability-oriented education
- Organizational management in response to digital transformation…
Continuous Improvement in Educational Environments
- Skills and proactive change management
- Digital tools and sustainable practices in training education managers
- Designing environmentally responsible learning environments
- Digitally equipped educational settings
- Curriculum design aligned with emerging career paths
- Supporting the development of digital and sustainable competencies for employability…
Proactivity in the Face of Global Challenges
- Educational programs for active civic engagement
- Effective AI use in decision-making
- Problem-solving with predictive AI tools
- Proactive management of economic, environmental, and societal challenges
- New paradigms for managing digital education…
Rational and Equitable Educational Governance
- Equitable management of sustainability benefits
- Inclusive digital education programs
- Ensuring fair access to technology in training
- Co-developed strategic plans in the digital age…
Le Forum mondial sur l’éducation, tenu en mai 2015 à Incheon sous l’égide de l’UNESCO et ses partenaires, s’est conclu par la Déclaration d’Incheon pour l’Éducation 2030, un engagement historique de transformer la vie grâce à une nouvelle vision de l’éducation et à des actions courageuses et innovantes pour la réaliser. Le Cadre d’action Éducation 2030, qui établit cette nouvelle vision de l’éducation pour les 15 années à venir, a été adopté par plus de 180 états membres de l’UNESCO. Quatre ans plus tard, à la 9e Réunion mondiale de la Consultation collective des ONG pour Éducation 2030 (CCONG-Éducation 2030), qui s’est tenue en Tunisie en 2019, les organisations participantes ont affirmé que le monde est confronté à une crise éducative, causée par un manque de volonté politique, une faible priorisation de l’éducation et un financement insuffisant. De plus, elles ont constaté une tendance croissante à la commercialisation de l’éducation, ce qui contribue à creuser davantage les inégalités. Les systèmes éducatifs mondiaux ne semblaient pas respecter l’engagement pris dans le programme Éducation 2030. Le ministre de l’Éducation de la Tunisie d’alors avait, à la même occasion, souligné que la plupart des pays n’avancent pas suffisamment pour atteindre les objectifs fixés pour 2030. Il a appelé à une reconnaissance de l’importance stratégique de l’éducation pour toutes les nations et a encouragé la société civile à jouer un rôle majeur dans la mobilisation pour y parvenir.