World Bank EduTech Podcast

In today's episode, Bob Hawkins welcomes Malek Abu-Jawdeh, Education Specialist at the World Bank, for a conversation on how the Government of Nigeria, the World Bank, and the Mastercard Foundation are working together to build a more inclusive and future-ready education system. They discuss how Nigeria's new National EdTech Strategy is bringing together government, development partners, and the private sector around a shared vision for digital transformation, and why meaningful change depends not just on technology, but on stronger teacher support, better coordination, and long-term investment in education systems. The conversation also highlights the AGILE AI Hackathon, where adolescent girls in northern Nigeria used AI to create graphic novels about climate change, illustrating how artificial intelligence can empower creativity, problem-solving, and student voice when built on strong educational foundations.

Links:

• AGILE Climate Change & Entrepreneurship HackathonCompletion Note: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099535205012640171/pdf/IDU-653b29d8-97cf-4cec-9c20-ccdd71bf9c70.pdf
• The future is Africa: Shaping AI-enabled EdTech for skilling the next generation: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/the-future-is-africa--shaping-ai-enabled-edtech-for-skilling-the

A podcast produced by Lucía Blasco.

In today's episode, Roberta Malee Bassett (World Bank) speaks with Jason Morphew (Purdue University) and Jesús Rosario (Coursera) about what generative artificial intelligence means for tertiary education and the future of work. Building on the AI in Education Global Community of Interest session held in January, and drawing on related World Bank work in this space, including initiatives supported by the Mastercard Foundation, they discuss how institutions are approaching AI literacy, from understanding how these systems work to addressing their limitations and ethical implications.

The conversation also looks at how teaching and assessment are evolving, the growing demand for AI-related skills, and the challenges universities face in putting strategies into practice. With examples from Purdue and insights from Coursera, it highlights the importance of balancing technical knowledge with human skills and keeping AI systems human-centered and inclusive.

Links:

• About the AI in Education Global Community of Interest: https://edtechhub.org/world-bank-ai-in-education-global-community-of-interest/
• About Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/
• About Purdue University (Engineering Education): https://engineering.purdue.edu/ENE
• LASSO Education (adaptive testing systems)
  https://lassoeducation.org/
• The World Bank Group and Mastercard Foundation partnership: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/tes/partners

A podcast produced by Lucía Blasco.

In today's episode, Bob Hawkins (World Bank) speaks with Tatenda Marshall (Impact Hub Harare), Eugene Ramirez Mampondera (Lightbulbs and Lazers), and Spencer Jaka, a participant in the EVOKE pilot in Zimbabwe. The conversation explores how AI is helping young people develop creative and digital skills, apply them to real-world challenges, and access new opportunities within the creative economy.

Links:

• About Evoke: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech/brief/evoke-an-online-alternate-reality-game-supporting-social-innovation-among-young-people-around-the-world

• About the Mastercard Foundation: https://mastercardfdn.org/en/

• Impact Hub Harare: https://impacthubharare.net/

• Lightbulbs and Lazers: https://lightbulbsandlazers.com/

A podcast produced by Lucía Blasco.

In this episode, Bob Hawkins speaks with Muluneh Atinaf, Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia, and Ashvina Parboteeah, ICT Manager at the Ministry of Education in Mauritius. Recorded during the World Bank EdTech Policy Academy, the conversation explores how ministries are developing EdTech strategies, expanding digital infrastructure, and integrating AI into education systems through the World Bank–Mastercard Foundation partnership. Production note: The song at the end of the episode was created with AI using Suno.

Links:

• About the Mastercard Foundation:
  https://mastercardfdn.org/en/
• Three mindset shifts to build digital and AI-empowered education systems:
  https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/three-mindset-shifts-to-build-digital-and-ai-empowered-education

A podcast produced by Lucía Blasco.

Today, Bob Hawkins speaks with Nawaz Aslam from the EdTech Hub and Roy Manzi of Manzia AI to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping what students need to learn and how education systems can assess those skills. Building on themes from the recent AI for Assessment webinar hosted by the EdTech Hub and the World Bank, the discussion highlights the growing importance of 21st century competencies such as critical thinking, problem solving and information literacy as AI becomes part of everyday learning.

We also examine emerging approaches to AI-supported assessment, including tools that can generate timely feedback and help teachers measure complex skills at scale. Early pilots, including work in Zimbabwe, offer a glimpse of what responsible AI integration might look like in low resource settings and reinforce why human judgment, clear standards and strong evidence must remain at the center of any education system adopting these technologies.

Links:

• Learn more about the EdTech Hub's AI Observatory and Action Lab
• Learn more about the World Bank’s work on digital and 21st century skills 
• Learn more about Manzia AI

A podcast produced by Lucía Blasco.

In this episode, Bob Hawkins speaks with Emanudin Amin, a student at Misrak Polytechnic College in Ethiopia, whose own experience moving through different school systems motivated him to create Mindshift, an AI-powered platform designed to help teachers personalize learning. Emanudin explains how Mindshift uses student data to support teachers, generate lesson plans and assessments, and identify struggling learners before they fall behind. He also shares how teachers at Misrak reacted when they tested the tool, what features they valued most, and what challenges remain as Ethiopia expands its digital infrastructure.The conversation explores the opportunities and risks of bringing AI into classrooms in Ethiopia and across Africa, and reflects on the potential of young innovators on the continent. Bob first met Emanudin during a visit to Misrak under the Ethiopia Education and Skills for Employability (EASE) Project.

Links:

• About EASE (Ethiopia Education and Skills for Employability Project): https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099114202152418991
• About the Mastercard Foundation: https://mastercardfdn.org/en/
• Three mindset shifts to build digital and AI empowered education systems: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/three-mindset-shifts-to-build-digital-and-ai-empowered-education

A podcast produced by Lucía Blasco.

Today, we dive into how artificial intelligence is reshaping classrooms and learning experiences around the world. Bob Hawkins, Global Lead for Technology and Innovation in Education at the World Bank, speaks with Joleen Liang, Co-founder of Squirrel AI, Srikanth Talapadi, Managing Director at Chimple, and Daniel Plaut, Innovation Learning Lead at the EdTech Hub. Together they unpack some of the big questions: Can AI-generated content be adapted to local contexts? What role should teachers play when AI takes over parts of instruction? And how can education systems harness these tools to expand equity rather than widen divides?

Learn more:

• ​About Squirrel AI: https://squirrelai.com/
• ​About Chimple: https://chimple.org
• ​About the EdTech Hub; https://edtechhub.org/
• ​About the World Bank: Education is a key to jobs, growth, and lifelong learning

A podcast produced by Lucia Blasco.

In this episode, we explore whether artificial intelligence can truly help close the higher education gap in Latin America and the Caribbean, or if it risks leaving more students behind. Jaime Saavedra, Director for Human Development in Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank, speaks with Ezequiel Molina, Senior Economist at the Bank and co-author of a new report on AI Revolution in higher education, and Christopher Neilson, Professor of Economics at Yale University and founder of Tether Education and ConsiliumBots. They discuss real-life innovations that are already reshaping university access in the region—from AI-powered chatbots guiding students through complex admissions processes to tools that detect early signs of dropout risk. The episode also delves into what governments need to do to ensure these technologies promote inclusion rather than deepen existing inequalities.

Links:

• ​https://www.consiliumbots.com
• ​www.tether.education
• ​Report: AI Revolution in Higher Education
• ​WBG Education in Latin America and the Caribbean

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A podcast produced by Lucía Blasco.

En este episodio, presentado por Lucía Blasco del equipo de EdTech, conversamos sobre cómo la Universidad de los Andes en Colombia ha logrado avanzar en su proceso de transformación digital. Nos acompañan Leonardo Lima (IFC) y Harold Enrique Castro Barrera, vicerrector de Transformación Digital de UniAndes. Hablamos de los aprendizajes institucionales tras cinco años de implementación del programa D4TEP, apoyado por la Corporación Financiera Internacional (IFC), y de cómo este proceso ha contribuido no solo desde la tecnología, sino también desde la innovación docente, el cambio cultural y el uso estratégico de datos para mejorar los aprendizajes.

A nivel global, el programa D4TEP ha mejorado los servicios digitales para 950.000 estudiantes de 25 instituciones de educación superior en 14 países, y ha movilizado 230 millones de dólares en inversiones a través de IFC para apoyar el crecimiento institucional y la digitalización.

Más información:

• IFC – Digital for Tertiary Education Program (D4TEP)
• Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes), Colombia

Un podcast producido por Lucía Blasco.

In this episode, Carrol Chang, CEO of Andela, and Juliana Ospina, Global EdTech Lead at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), join Bob Hawkins from the World Bank to explore how digital skills and AI are unlocking new job opportunities for youth, especially in Africa. They unpack the rise of demand-driven, scalable training models, the power of global talent marketplaces and the importance of public-private collaboration. From coding in remote villages to the future of work shaped by AI, this conversation looks at how to build more inclusive, connected, and future-ready education systems.

Learn more:

• Andela – Global Talent Marketplace
• International Finance Corporation (IFC) – Education 
• Open Talent by John Winsor (book)
• The Worlds I See by Fei-Fei Li (book)
• World Bank Podcast: Ethiopia’s Education and Skills for Employability (EASE)

A podcast produced by Lucia Blasco.