Educators and government have long talked about 21st Century learning, but COVID-19 presents an opportunity to re-evaluate our attitudes to modern education - right here, right now.

As educators it is important for us to provide a means for the students in our care to understand this reality and its impact on peoples of all cultures. Explore a breadth of texts, curated from educators across the world, that provide conduits to navigate potentially heightened racial and cultural tensions in our society.

In 2010, the United Nations (UN) initiated language days to celebrate and advance the equal use of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish – the six official languages of the UN – with the aim to deepen respect for multilingualism and cultural diversity. Join us this 20 April as we celebrate #ChineseLanguageDay.

Science is forever evolving. International Day of Women and Girls in Science reminds us that our perception of science, and how it’s taught, should change too.

International Mother Language Day (21 February) has been celebrated across the world since 2000; however, many of us have never questioned the concept of the mother tongue, writes Dr Bo Hu from the Asia Education Foundation.

Since the 1950s, Australia has been consistent about the way education can build our nation’s soft power, but the time has come to update our approach.

Through trade, employment, migration, tourism, agriculture and technology, we constantly connect with our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific and it is essential that our young people know about and understand that engagement and develop the skills to harness its opportunities and minimise any risks.

In the wake of the Novel Coronavirus, Education Coordinator Brendan Hitchens shares his thoughts on the importance of critical thinking in the information age. Enabling students to differentiate between fact and fiction, respectfully challenge information in the media, and debate complex cultural topics with confidence, this is an essential component of life.

In the wake of the Coronavirus, and while we will continue to monitor the challenges of travel to China during these warnings, AEF Executive Director says 'this doesn’t mean we will stop exploring ways to develop the understanding and empathy to open up rich opportunities for collaboration and equip Australians for a positive future'.

'We need to do more for intercultural learning' writes AEF Executive Director, Hamish Curry in response to the recently drafted National Declaration on Education. If we want to address negative  stereotypes and prejudice in education and society, we have a responsibility to equip our young people with greater skills in empathy and respect; our world needs it.