In this episode, our host Philippa Wraithmell is in conversation with Alina Sava, a Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, discussing Alina’s journey in education and the transformative role of AI in the sector. She emphasizes the importance of equity in education, the necessity of lifelong learning, and the evolving curriculum that incorporates critical thinking. Alina highlights the need for governments to create frameworks for AI integration while ensuring that teachers remain central to the learning process. The discussion also touches on the potential digital divide in AI access and the importance of preparing students for an AI-driven world.

Are you an educator or innovator interested in how technology is shaping the future of learning?

Bett UK 2026 is the world’s leading EdTech event, taking place from 21 to 23 January 2026 at ExCeL London. It brings together more than 35,000 educators, policymakers, education leaders, and EdTech innovators from around the world, alongside 600+ exhibitors and hundreds of expert speakers. Bett UK showcases the latest innovations in education technology, with hands-on demos, Tech User Labs, TableTalks, and the Connect @ Bett programme designed to foster meaningful collaboration between decision-makers and solution providers. With a strong focus on themes such as AI in education, inclusion, and the future of learning, Bett UK continues to be a key global platform for inspiration, insight, and transformative conversations in education.

Come to Bett 2026 and listen to the full episode to explore what needs to change now and what the future of learning could look like if we get it right.

Teachers today are genuinely time-poor. Between increasing administrative demands, constant assessment, and the rapid rise of AI, finding professional development that truly fits into a teacher’s reality can feel impossible. Too often, CPD remains one-size-fits-all detached from linguistically diverse classrooms and the real challenges educators face every day.

When professional learning fails to connect with practice, the impact goes far beyond wasted hours. Essential skills such as oracy, effective EAL strategies, and healthy digital habits are overlooked, contributing to teacher burnout and leaving students ill-equipped for life beyond the classroom.

In this podcast episode, we speak with experts from Hachette Learning Academy about a more adaptive, teacher-led approach to professional learning one that prioritises what actually matters. Listen to the full episode to discover a powerful “hidden skill” that could matter more than reading or writing for students’ future career success.

In many Western classrooms, the mobile phone is viewed as the "forbidden fruit", a primary source of distraction that must be banned, confiscated, or locked away in magnetic pouches. Teachers and parents alike are exhausted by the constant battle over "screen time," whilst struggling to engage students in an education system that hasn't evolved in decades. Lectures are often unengaging, leading students to drift away, yet we blame the device rather than the delivery.

Is this prohibitive approach a catastrophic mistake? Stephen Hodges warns that Western nations risk being "digitally leapfrogged" by developing economies. In regions like rural Uganda or Brazil, the student's personal mobile is not a toy; it is a lifeline to quality education amidst a massive shortage of qualified teachers.

By demonising the technology our children use most, we risk missing "the biggest opportunity in education that we've seen in millennia". Furthermore, focusing solely on restricting minutes creates unnecessary conflict at home, failing to teach the critical self-regulation skills young people desperately need.

This episode of The EdTech Podcast offers a way forward by shifting the narrative from "Screen Time" to "Screen Purpose". Philippa Wraithmell sits down with three experts to explore how we can embrace technology rather than fight it:
•    Stephen Hodges (Efekta): Reveals how AI teaching assistants on personal phones are solving the teacher shortage crisis and delivering personalised learning in emerging markets.
•    Adam Huh Dam (Stick 'Em): Demonstrates how STEAM education is reaching the most remote areas using nothing but smartphones and internet access.
•    Payal Patel (Digital Bridge): Provides actionable strategies for parents to build "digital confidence" and healthy boundaries at home without the conflict.

Tune in to discover why the device in your pocket might just be the most powerful educational asset we have.

Can an AI detect your sadness? 🤔 This episode will change how you think about mental health and finance.

We're at Saudi Learn speaking to the next generation of innovators! Hear from the brilliant minds behind:

·       Voice Recognition for Mental Health: A powerful app that charts your emotional patterns and spikes. They tell us why this is CRUCIAL 50% of people worldwide are walking around undiagnosed.

·       The AI Finance Advisor: We meet the team who spotted a "desperate need" for financial help, leading them to build a bot that helps track everything from buying an iPhone to a new house.

But the real secret to their success? The incredible Accenture Academy where they learned to stop building what they wanted, and start building what the user truly needed.

Tune in now to discover the #1 piece of advice they received from a two-star General that completely shifted their project perspective... you won't believe who he was!