Uncomfortable conversations with Josh Szeps
What’s the purpose of school? Why do we run schools the way we do? How might we reinvent education in an era of artificial intelligence and ADHD? I…
read moreSydney Opera House Play Award 2025 seeking submissions
The Sydney Opera House has an ongoing and rich connection with play and its intrinsic connection to the arts and learning. From the inspiring stories on our stages, to the artists who enliven our Centre for Creativity, we are committed to equipping artists and audiences with the capacity and skills to embed play in their classrooms, creative and civic spaces, and everyday life. It…
read moreNew book: 500 sanaa koulusta
The 54 columns in this book were published in Opettaja magazine during the years 2004–2016. In addition to the senior specialist position at the World Bank, that period includes similar job at the European Education Foundation in Turin, directorship of the Center for International Mobility and Cooperation (CIMO) at the Ministry of Education and Culture in Helsinki, and a visiting professorship at…
read moreThe Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis Lecture in Abu Dhabi
I had a great honour to give the Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis Lecture on Thursday 21st September in Abu Dhabi. Majlis Lecture is a distinguished intellectual forum, grounded in the belief that through understanding other points of view, a deeper appreciation of the world can be realised and better solutions to challenges can be achieved. The Majlis has become an emblematic marker of the openness of Abu Dhabi to diverse ideas. Previous…
read moreNobel Prize Dialogue in Seoul
I attended the Nobel Prize Dialogue in Seoul on 24 September alongside several Nobel Prize laureates and significant South Korean academics. It was titled “Future Learning: Exploring Science and Technology”. This event started with the question what is the purpose of education, and then went on to explore what do we need to know, is there an optimal balance between fundamental and applied knowledge, how does…
read moreDiscussion Paper: Reinventing Australian Schools
Can we reimagine school beyond the limiting notion that the primary task of schools is limited to narrow academic achievement? What would a school look like that emphasises whole-child development instead? How could health become an essential 21st skill that all children should learn in school? These are some of the questions that led us to write a Discussion…
read moreReview of Australia’s next school reforms
Jason Clare, Minister of Education in Australia’s Federal Government, appointed an expert panel on 29th March to advise Education Ministers on the key targets and specific reforms that should be tied to funding in the next National School Reform Agreement. I am honoured to be member in this distinguished team of experts. General aim of this expert panel is to write a review to inform policy-makers how to improve…
read more2022 Sydney Opera House Conversations Wrap-up
Sydney Opera House Pasi Sahlberg Conversation project is an annual 3-part series of essential talks and discussions about the Australian education and how it could be improved. I have been privileged to host amazing guests during past two years, including Eddie Woo, Chris Sarra, Sarah Donnelley and Sharon Goldfeld. All these conversations are recorded and slightly edited…
read moreEquity in education should be clearly defined
Achieving equity in education has long been a key aspect of the national education policies and goals for schooling. Most recently it is one of the key goals in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Declaration (2019) set for Australian education and its future development.…
read moreAustralian education 10 years after
This year Australia acknowledge an anniversary of a rare opportunity to truly transform education as we have had it. Ten years have passed since the landmark
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