July 2025: Designing Education Futures Through AI, Inclusion and Lifelong Learning

We’re excited to continue our new monthly series in which we round up some of the recent news and commentary from across the Middle East. This month, the articles and interviews that we’re sharing highlight how institutions are rethinking design education, embedding AI into national curricula, nurturing student-led innovation, and dealing with barriers in adult learning. 

A shared theme across the pieces is the need for educational systems that are more inclusive, tech-savvy, and future-focussed. From building emotionally intelligent designers to reshaping adult skills training, this month’s roundup reflects a global education community that is thinking creatively about what it means to lead and learn in our rapidly changing world.

Edarabia: From Dubai to the World: How the National Design Academy is Shaping Tomorrow's Designers [Interview]

In this interview, Dalia Hanno, Senior Tutor at the National Design Academy in Dubai, shares her vision for turning the institution into a global leader in design education. Blending digital tools with hands-on studio learning, the school takes a flexible approach that caters to students across diverse learning styles. Hanno emphasises the importance of a student body that mirrors the international nature of Dubai, and discusses ongoing efforts to support student mental health and attract top faculty talent. The NDA’s strategy is not just about teaching design, but about making sure the way they’re teaching is inclusive, innovative, and globally relevant.

Education Middle East: Saudi Arabia to introduce AI curriculum across all school levels [Article]

Starting in the 2025–26 academic year, Saudi Arabia will roll out a national AI curriculum which will span every stage of public education. Developed by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority and other government agencies, the new initiative is part of their Vision 2030 plan. The new curriculum features age-appropriate modules and interactive teaching methods designed to help students understand and apply artificial intelligence from a young age. A pilot course for secondary students has already launched, and officials say the full rollout will include a framework to ensure students build on their AI knowledge as they progress through school curricula. It also introduces AI learning outcomes into the national assessment system. The goal is to create a digitally fluent generation that is well-positioned to lead in the tech sectors of tomorrow.

Teach Middle East: Why Great School Leaders Stay: Navigating Career Longevity in Education with Sue Aspinall [Podcast]

Educational leader Sue Aspinall's inspiring journey shows how personal resilience can create professional strength. She credits her upbringing in northern England, where her widowed mother raised four children, with instilling in her the determination to become the first woman in her family to attend university. This strong foundation led her to a career in education that has spanned the globe.

Aspinall's leadership path has taken her from inner-city schools in England to leading international schools in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and the Netherlands. She believes in staying in one place long enough to create meaningful, lasting change and develop future leaders. Now, as a leadership coach, she works to keep talented leaders in the education sector by addressing issues like professional development, workplace relationships, and emotional intelligence. She also champions ethical leadership and the importance of creating inclusive environments in diverse international school communities.

OECD: Trends in Adult Learning: New Data from the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills [Report]

This new OECD report offers a wide-ranging look at adult learning participation across member countries, with some sobering takeaways. Despite growing awareness of the need for lifelong learning, adult education participation is flatlining or falling in many places. One surprising finding is that the narrowing of participation gaps between different demographic groups is often due to declines among traditionally high-participating groups, not increases among underserved ones. The report calls for policy innovation to make adult learning systems more inclusive, accessible, and aligned with the fast-changing demands of the workforce.

Education Middle East: Regenerative design in focus at Global Cumulus 2026 [Article]

Canadian University Dubai (CUD) will host the 2026 Cumulus Conference, one of the world’s leading gatherings focused on design, education, and the future of human systems. The five-day summit, scheduled for November 2026, will bring together international educators, researchers, and designers to explore the role of regenerative design in addressing today’s global challenges. Sessions will span architecture, technology, media, and the humanities, with key themes including diversity, inclusion, well-being, and the ethical use of emerging technologies. Organized by CUD’s School of Architecture and Interior Design, the conference will feature panel discussions, exhibitions, workshops, and collaborative think tanks. The theme will be: “Design(ed) Visions of Tomorrow | The Future of Human Condition.”

Massimo Imparato, Dean of the School, indicated the event’s forward-looking mission, stating, “We are honoured to be selected as hosts of this influential gathering that challenges us to radically reimagine the systems, tools and narratives that define design disciplines.”