On 13–16 October 2026, the EdTech hub hosted the IDRC EmpowerED Global Convening in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is part of the International Development Research Centre’s (IDRC) three-year global initiative, EmpowerED: Technology for Inclusive Education, launched in 2024. The global meeting brought together regional partners from Latin America, Africa, and Asia for a week of shared learning, meaningful connections, and collective reflection.
The convening was held alongside the EduIA Conference 2026, organized by Ceibal that explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education. This year’s conference explored the pedagogical, institutional, regulatory, and infrastructure capacities education systems need to adopt AI effectively while prioritising educational goals, equity, and the human role.
The convening offered EmpowerED members a unique opportunity to meet in person and engage in open, peer-led dialogue about what is working, what is being learned, and how collective practices in educational technology and AI can be strengthened.
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya and Senior Research Manager Isuru Samaratunga participated in the convening. LIRNEasia serves as the regional coordinator for five country projects in Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, including work to strengthen educational technology (EdTech) capacity in Sri Lanka.
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya and Senior Research Manager Isuru Samaratunga alongside other EdTech Hub members at the Covening held in MonteVideo, Uruguay 2026
At the convening, Isuru presented Emerging Lessons from the EdTech Asia Hub, sharing insights from the five country projects. He highlighted that the projects demonstrated that the challenge of EdTech is not simply about choosing the right technology. Rather, it is about helping education systems make informed decisions, build institutional capacity, and guide technology use in ways that respond to real educational needs.
LIRNEasia Senior Research Manager Isuru Samaratunga presents insights from five country projects: Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam at the Covening
He also emphasized that education systems need stronger mechanisms to determine how technology should be used, governed, and sustained. With AI already entering classrooms, policy frameworks and training must keep pace. Strengthening EdTech policy, he noted, is not only about helping governments generate better evidence; it is about enabling institutions to ask the right questions, interpret what the evidence means, and translate it into sustained action.
Access the presentation slides for Emerging Lessons from the EdTech Asia Hub from the event below.
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