On May 15, the fifth parallel forum of the 2025 World Digital Education Conference—”Transformation of Teachers’ Roles and Enhancement of Abilities in the Intelligent Era”—was held at the Wuhan International Conference Center. Guided by the Department of Teacher Affairs of China’s Ministry of Education and hosted by Central China Normal University (CCNU), the forum attracted more than 150 participants from 15 countries and regions. Attendees included senior officials from education ministries, representatives of academic institutions, experts from international organizations, and scholars in the field of digital education.

The forum explored key themes such as teacher capacity building in the AI era, human-AI collaborative teaching practices, and the development of digital literacy. It aimed to promote international dialogue and partnership in teacher development, accelerating the global transformation toward intelligent education systems.

Among the keynote speakers were Yang Yunyan, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial People’s Congress; Sahrjoe Aziz Kamara, Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education of Sierra Leone; Yu Weiyue, Director of the Department of Teacher Affairs, Ministry of Education; and Peng Shuangjie, President of CCNU. The opening session was moderated by Han Jinghong, Deputy Director of the Department of Teacher Affairs.

In his address, Yang Yunyan underscored that digitalization in education goes far beyond technological adoption—it represents a systemic transformation. With teachers at the center of this change, their evolving roles and professional capabilities are a shared global concern. He emphasized the Chinese government’s strong commitment to advancing the digital transition of the teaching profession. As a major education province and a national frontrunner in digital innovation, Hubei has been actively implementing its strategic plan for digital education, with a particular focus on empowering teachers through technology. He expressed hope that the forum would help foster new models of teacher education and shape the future of learning in the digital age.

Deputy Minister Kamara shared Sierra Leone’s experiences in driving educational reform in the age of intelligence, calling for greater integration of technology to empower teachers and expand international cooperation. He stressed that teachers serve as essential drivers of sustainable development. With a national focus on human capital and digital technologies, Sierra Leone is actively reforming its basic, higher, and vocational education systems. Kamara expressed his aspiration for a global educational network built on fairness, mutual benefit, and trust—one that advances scientific research and technological innovation in education worldwide.

Yu Weiyue reiterated China’s longstanding recognition of teacher development as the foundation of digital education. He outlined China’s roadmap for building a digitally empowered teaching workforce, aiming to cultivate educators equipped with both digital competence and pedagogical insight. Acknowledging the dual nature of AI as both a challenge and an opportunity, he emphasized China’s commitment to international collaboration and its readiness to contribute to global efforts to redefine the teaching profession and enhance teacher competencies in the AI era.

President Peng Shuangjie emphasized that as a national leader in teacher education, CCNU is dedicated to “preparing future-ready, high-caliber educators.” He shared the university’s strategic initiatives in advancing digital education, including the integration of AI into instructional practices and teacher development. Looking ahead, Peng noted that the digital transformation of teacher education presents both opportunities and pressures. He reaffirmed CCNU’s commitment to working with global partners to unlock the full potential of teachers through digital innovation and to help shape the future of education through pedagogical wisdom.

At the keynote session, renowned experts from around the world gathered to share cutting-edge research and practical perspectives on reimagining the role of teachers and enhancing their competencies in the age of artificial intelligence. Distinguished speakers included Nils Pinkwart, Vice President of Humboldt University of Berlin; Xia Lixin, Party Secretary of Central China Normal University (CCNU); Igor Remorenko, President of Moscow City University; Professor Hung Wei Lun from the National Institute of Education at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Nigel Harkness, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University, UK; Professor James Slotta from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, Canada; Professor Zhu Ziting of East China Normal University; Zhao Geng, Director of the Teacher Management Division, Hubei Provincial Department of Education; Professor Mutlu Cukurova from University College London; and Professor Xiong Zhang from Beihang University.

In his keynote speech, “Preparing Future Teachers in the Age of Intelligence: Missions and Challenges,” CCNU Party Secretary Xia Lixin introduced the university’s comprehensive efforts to modernize teacher education. These initiatives include building an integrated online-offline learning environment, launching a series of training courses for teaching majors, and developing the Xiaoya intelligent teaching platform to enhance both teaching and learning. Xia also highlighted innovations such as AI-enabled learning scenarios, microteaching assessments, classroom quality evaluations, a 3D digital twin campus, and a smart “digital cockpit” for campus governance. He emphasized that the rapid evolution of information technology is transforming the ways knowledge is acquired and delivered, fundamentally reshaping the dynamics of teaching and learning. CCNU, he noted, is committed to embedding core competencies into all aspects of teacher preparation, equipping future educators with both pedagogical insight and technological proficiency to support high-quality education in the digital age.

A high-level roundtable discussion on “Artificial Intelligence and the Future Teacher” featured Jacques Frémont, President of the University of Ottawa, Canada; Qin Shizhao, President of Lingnan University, Hong Kong; Jonathan Mason, Chair of the ISO/IEC JTC1 Subcommittee on Learning, Education, and Training; Professor Yulia Filatova, Director of the Inclusive Education Development Lab at the Russian Academy of Education; and Zhu Jun, Deputy Director of the Wuhan Municipal Education Bureau. Panelists called for enhanced international collaboration mechanisms in education and stressed the importance of building a shared, intelligent, and inclusive global education ecosystem—an appeal that resonated widely among attendees.

In the case sharing session, three secondary school teachers from Hainan and Ningxia offered compelling presentations on their classroom innovations and instructional practices. iFLYTEK, a leading Chinese AI company, also showcased its latest advancements in educational artificial intelligence, highlighting new technologies and system-level applications aimed at enhancing learning outcomes.

To conclude the forum, Professor Wu Di of CCNU, representing the National Research Team on Teacher Digital Literacy Assessment and Development, released the 2025 edition of the Digital Literacy Report for Primary and Secondary School Teachers in China. The report presents the latest findings from the national digital literacy assessment project conducted by CCNU, providing valuable insights into the current state and ongoing development of digital competencies among Chinese educators.