From May 21 to 25, London hosted the largest gathering of education and skills ministers at the Education World Forum. It included 125 ministers of education, education policy makers, researchers and practitioners, alongside partners, to take stock of where education systems are heading, and what it will take to get there.

Malala Yousafzai opened the Forum with a reminder that felt particularly timely.

“Sometimes at conferences like these, we get caught up in the practicalities of policy-making… It is easy to lose our capacity to imagine,” she said. “Change does not begin with the world as it is, but the world as it could be.”

That mix of realism and ambition ran through much of the week.

1. Transformation is possible

One of the biggest differences from last year was the mood. Twelve months ago, conversations were still shaped by the shock of major shifts in development financing. This year felt different. More grounded—but also more confident.

Ministers were frank about the pressures they are facing: tighter fiscal space, rising costs, competing priorities. But there was also a clear sense that change is happening—and that system-level reform is possible, even in this context.

2. Evidence is shaping reform, but the focus is now on delivery

There is no longer debate about whether foundational learning matters. That question has been settled. What came through strongly at the forum was a shift to the next questions: how to implement reforms, how much they cost, and how to sustain them.

Evidence from the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP) continues to shape thinking—particularly on approaches like structured pedagogy and teaching at the right level. But ministers are increasingly focused on what those approaches look like in practice.

The bigger challenge is making sure systems can deliver consistently, and that data is in the hands of teachers and schools, not just collected centrally.

3. AI is generating interest—but also tough questions

AI and education technology were prominent across the week, often framed as a potential step-change in how systems deliver.

Some of the examples were striking, including early models designed to support teaching in multilingual settings. At the same time, there was a fair degree of caution.

Practical questions remain: cost, scale, capacity. One AI model presented would cost around $15 per child to implement. For many countries with little fiscal room, this is simply not feasible.

What felt different compared to a few years ago was the tone. Less hype around technology, more scrutiny, and more focus on the practical and scalable. Ministers are asking what works, for whom, and under what conditions.

There is real opportunity, but successful use will depend on answering the right questions, getting the partnerships right, and ensuring all actors are working together, aligned behind country systems.

4. Violence in and around schools is getting the attention it deserves

Another shift is the growing recognition of how directly violence affects education outcomes and how schools are a place to break the cycle of violence and build gender equality.

At the Ministerial Taskforce on violence in and around schools, ministers spoke openly about both the scale of the challenge and the urgency to act. As Sierra Leone’s Minister of Education Conrad Sackey put it: “Every child should be free from violence. Safe and secure learning environments are core to well-being and growth.”

What stood out was the sense that this is moving beyond awareness. Countries are starting to focus on how to tackle the issue through education systems themselves—through policy, financing and partnerships. The UK’s Minister for Development, Baroness Chapman, noted, “education systems have a central role in preventing violence… now we must work together to turn commitments into real change.”

There is still a long way to go, but the political attention on this issue feels stronger than in previous years.

5. Financing education

Against all of this sits the reality of a tighter global financing environment.

There were encouraging signs throughout the week. Support for GPE is growing. Engagement with philanthropy is open and constructive: While philanthropy may not be able to fill the gaps left by the decline of traditional aid, there are opportunities to collaborate for greater impact and avoid the fragmentation mistakes of the past.

In conversations with ministers—including from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana—there was clear ownership of domestic financing, and commitments were highlighted.

Ministers saw a key role for external aid and partners like GPE, in acting catalytically in support of a country’s reform agenda and sustainable financing trajectory.

We saw this clearly in the dinner hosted by Aga Khan Foundation, where partners from the UK, Rwanda, foundations and philanthropy, were aligned on the need to work behind governments to multiply results.

Looking ahead

If there is one main takeaway from the forum, it is this: progress is possible, even in a constrained environment. Now is not the time to scale back funding.

The ongoing GPE financing campaign presents an opportunity for partners to enlarge the fiscal space for education in a coordinated manner and to help countries maintain the momentum that was so evident in London.

The pieces are there. Evidence is stronger. Reform efforts are more focused. Partnerships are evolving. What will matter now is sustained political leadership backed by targeted and harmonized funding from partners.

As we head towards the GPE high-level financing event at the UN General Assembly, the priority is clear: to build on this momentum and turn it into action.