Presented by Giles Rutherford, Alumni, NY Ataturk Okulu/through TWLA
Organized by The Light Millennium Global, in support of the Observance of the International Day of Education #EducationDay2026
In collaboration with the Coalition for the #CompulsoryPeaceICTsCampaign #7
Aligned with the UNESCO 2026 Dedication Theme: “The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education”
Booklet (including with the brief bios of the speakers)

“For some, the problem is not improving education—it is having any at all. AI can give a child a chance to keep learning instead of being left behind.”

[LMGlobal.Org] Hello everyone! My name is Giles Rutherford, and it is a pleasure to speak with you all today for the Compulsory Peace & ICT Education Campaign in Support of the International Day of Education.

I believe education is a basic human right, and it should be treated as one. Not because it guarantees success, but because without education, many other rights do not fully work.
If you cannot read, you do not understand the laws meant to protect you.

If you cannot think critically, it becomes harder to make informed choices.

Education gives people the tools to understand the world around them and take part in it.
But education depends heavily on where you are born. Today, technology, especially artificial intelligence, is becoming one of the reasons that difference is increasing.

There is a slowly growing but very real divide between countries when it comes to education.

In some countries, students use AI to help them study, get feedback, and understand difficult topics. AI can explain things at different levels, different speeds, and even in different languages. It can feel like having a personal tutor in your pocket. Teachers also use AI to save time and focus more on helping students think, ask questions, and discuss ideas.

In other countries, students do not have access to these tools at all. Many struggle in underfunded and overcrowded classrooms. For them, AI is not something that supports learning. It is something they do not get to use.

This is a global problem that many people do not see. I see both sides of this divide in my own life.
In my own experience, in the days or even hours before an exam, I often study my notes and then ask ChatGPT to quiz me. It helps me understand what I know, what I do not know, and where I need to improve. My experience is not unusual. What is unusual is that it is not available to everyone. I am aware that many students around the world do not have that option.

AI is already a big part of education. Students use it to revise and practice, and teachers use it to plan lessons, create exercises, and track progress. This is not something that might happen in the future. It is already happening.

But this is where the issue becomes global.
If AI is mainly available to students who already have advantages, it risks widening the education gap between countries. Some nations will move forward faster with better tools and support, while others fall further behind, not because of ability, but because of access.

But there is also real hope!
AI has the potential to make education more fair! It can reach students in remote areas, support learners in their own languages, and help those who do not have access to extra tutoring or strong school systems. For the first time, good explanations do not have to depend on where you live. They can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world.

So the future of education is not really about technology. If education is truly a human right, then access to meaningful learning in the age of AI should matter to all of us. For some children, the problem is not improving their education. It is having any education at all. In places with no schools or teachers to turn to, AI cannot replace a classroom nor replace it’s human connection but it can give a child a chance to keep learning instead of being completely left behind.

Thank you.

©2026 The Light Millennium Global – www.lmglobal.org