International Day for Digital Learning: History, Significance and Theme of International Digital Learning Day

The second International Day for Digital Learning, supported by UNESCO, will take place in 2025. “Digital leaning realities in low-resourced contexts” will be the theme of the second International Digital Learning Day.

Most students and teachers work in contexts with limited access to digital technologies, a lack of support systems, and fledgling or unreliable connected learning resources. As part of the 2025 International Day for Digital Learning, UNESCO will shed light on these realities through an online event scheduled for March 19 from 12:30 to 14:30 CET. The event will explore the various moments in which educators, learners, families, and policymakers come up with workable solutions to improve learning quality and equity using digital technologies, even in the face of numerous resource limitations.

International Digital Learning Day is a very new initiative, much with World Tourism Resilience Day in 2023. In particular, 2024 is the year it is being celebrated a year late.

Digital learning has the potential to improve learning outcomes, increase educational access, and prepare students of all ages to meet the difficult challenges of the twenty-first century. Additionally, it can promote inclusivity and give people access to education, especially those affected by emergencies and conflicts.

Additionally, media literacy and digital skills are becoming an increasingly important aspect of foundational learning, as without them, people cannot engage in social, civic, and economic life in an effective and responsible manner.

Thus, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will sponsor the celebration of this day’s second edition in 2025. Let’s explore its origin.

Origin of this Day: International Day for Digital Learning History

As we just said, UNESCO, one of the United Nations specialized agencies, announced the International Day for Digital Learning in November 2023.

After recognizing “the possibilities offered by high-quality and accessible digital learning to address educational challenges worldwide and promote inclusive sustainable development,” its first edition was celebrated on March 19, 2024. By creating new initiatives or boosting current ones, the declaration of this day “promotes action at the international and national levels,” according to the adopted resolution.

This led to the declaration of March 19 as International Digital Learning Day every year, urging UNESCO Member States and partners to support the initiatives and promote the planning of celebrations.

Digital learning was given top priority by the UN at the Transforming Education Summit in 2022. International Day for Digital Learning was established by UNESCO Member States in recognition of its significance, and it will be observed for the first time in 2024.

Digital Learning Week

UNESCO has been celebrating Digital Learning Week since 2023, and its 2025 edition will be held in the organization’s headquarters in Paris from September 1–5, in addition to this global digital learning day.

This week “brings together the community of leaders, policymakers, researchers, and digital education professionals from various organizations, including United Nations agencies, governments, NGOs, and the private sector to guide technology for education,” as acknowledged by UNESCO itself.

The 2024 edition specifically addressed two issues; the first was the necessity for educational systems to promote mindsets that are centred on both the human being and digital skills.

The development of generative AI and the fact that it is surpassing the regulations that ought to regulate it, however, are examples of how innovation in technology is also linked to challenges of a different kind.

What is Included in Digital Learning or Digital Education?

The topic of digital education is portrayed as being extremely pertinent to enhancing future learning and enabling attention to be paid to the less fortunate.

The United Nations has identified three key factors for the growth of digital learning: connection, student and teacher capacity, and digital platform content. As a result, advancements in this field can aid in bridging the digital divide.

Personalization, enhanced autonomy, stronger digital skills, more options, better planning, more teacher interaction, and a wider audience are just a few benefits of digital education.

It should be remembered, though, that depending on the situation, some of these advantages may turn into disadvantages, such as social isolation, a sedentary lifestyle, or trouble disconnecting from the digital world.

Several issues also affect digital learning. Apart from the advancements in reducing the digital divide, preparing educators to use this type of instruction presents another difficulty.

To achieve this, the program aims to maximize the potential of technology for the whole educational community, focusing on topics like screen time management, privacy, identity and digital footprint, promoting empathy and critical thinking, managing cybersecurity, and responding to cyberbullying.