The COVID-19 pandemic has brought drastic changes in all areas of our daily life, including the world of education. Schools, universities and educational institutions are urged to make adjustments in carrying out teaching methods and learning activities. However, as we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, half of the student population at the global level is still affected by school went remote which have the potential to cause the loss of student learning processes. Not only students, parents and families also face a number of challenges. In addition, the development of the digital world and the rapid flow of information add to the rapid pace of disruption in the world of education, which gradually makes the world become more and more borderless. Then the question arises: Are we really ready for it?

Launched in September 2021, the EdHeroes Movement aims to create a global network of individuals, non-profit organizations, businesses, and government organizations, bringing together their diverse set of resources in order to explore and actualize fundamentally new solutions to the challenges education is facing worldwide. Its Advisory Board includes Cecilia Vaca Jones from Bernard van Leer Foundation (Netherlands), Suchetha Bhat from Dream a Dream (India), Boris Bulayev from Educate (USA), Conrad Wolfram from Wolfram Research (UK), Peter Vesterbacka from Fun Academy (Finland), Francisco J. Marmolejo from Qatar Foundation (Mexico), Karen Giles from Varkey Foundation (UK), Shaun Conway from ixo Foundation (Switzerland), Mary Falk de Losada from World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions (Colombia), and other leading figures in education.

Suchetha Bhat said, "Children today are facing an unprecedented crisis across the world and our education systems are not equipping them to tackle the challenges that society is encountering. It is time to reimagine the purpose of education towards thriving, so that children – especially from marginalized backgrounds – can flourish in this fast-changing and unpredictable world. This can only be possible when people and communities from across the world come together to collaborate and commit to a new paradigm in education that benefits all students, irrespective of their backgrounds and social identities. This is the potential of the EdHeroes Movement." Boris Bulyaev added: "Educate! believes in the power of collaboration: from our own teams co-designing and delivering solutions for youth with governments, schools, and young people themselves to the innovations made possible as we partner with other nonprofits, businesses, researchers, and thought leaders in education. The EdHeroes Movement is an incredibly important approach to addressing the complex challenges of our sector. Only together can we meet the needs of today and drive the most impact for children, youth, and families." Moreover, according to Cecilia Vaca Jones, "The pandemic has showcased how quickly a range of stakeholders can adapt, with empathy, agility and creativity. EdHeroes Movement will support ensure continuous action to promote access to all opportunities that can help young children thrive. We look forward with hope to working together for healthier and fairer future specially for babies, toddlers and caregivers." Conrad Wolfram said: "Computers have revolutionised the functioning of our societies, except in education. I'm pleased to be part of EdHeroes' drive to change this – not only to improve how but reset what students learn for the AI age."

As a global movement, EdHeroes is expanding to Asia with Indonesia as the first host country to open the EdHeroes series in other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Japan, India, Taiwan, China, and Turkey. EdHeroes Forum Asia: Indonesia Chapter will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 16, 2021, which will present speakers from various parts of the world, such as Osama Obeidat, QRTA (Jordan), Harry Patrinos, World Bank Education (USA), Fabien Roudier, IGSC (Japan), Angkie Yudistia, Special Advisor to The President of Indonesia, and more.

Combining the fundamental values of families, discussion and dissemination of policies and regulations, to the thoughts of education activists and youth icons who are always active in promoting literacy, the Forum is expected to become a forum for parents, students, educators, non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs engaged in the field of education, philanthropy, and governments in various countries to jointly create a better global education ecosystem.

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SOURCE EdHeroes Foundation