Slovakia will make AI a mandatory part of its national curriculum for primary and secondary schools starting in the 2026β2027 school year. Every student will learn how AI works and how to use it responsibly. Alongside Belgium's new assessment system and Spain's education inspection reform, European countries are each finding their own path toward integrating AI into the classroom.
In February 2026, the Finnish government published a long-term vision for its comprehensive schools looking ahead to 2045. Co-created with 5,000 participants, the vision frames AI and technology as tools while centering life, community, and the planet as the true purposes of education.
The ICILS 2023 international survey found that 43% of 8th graders across 22 EU countries failed to reach basic digital competence. The gap between the EU's 2030 ambitions and today's reality is enormous.
The EU's March 2025 Action Plan on Basic Skills reveals: 25% of European 15-year-olds cannot understand basic texts. We look at the paradox facing a continent racing to build a digital economy while basic literacy is declining.
In August 2026, Germany grants every primary school child the legal right to full-day care. Why is an education powerhouse only guaranteeing this right now, and what challenges lie ahead?