Case studies Edu/Id/SM

State examples for tech and AI education

United Arab Emirates: national AI education

Finland: Elements of AI

Describe United Arab Emirates: national AI education

• The UAE mandated AI education from the 2025–26 school year

• UAS and China are among the earliest countries to introduce AI as a formal national school subject. 

• The UAE is also developing an AI-powered tutoring platform aligned with its national curriculum and aims to train more than one million people by 2027.

Describe Finland: Elements of AI

• The Elements of AI course, developed by the University of Helsinki and technology company MinnaLearn, teaches basic AI concepts and ethical issues through a free, non-technical online course. 

• It has attracted more than 1.2 million participants worldwide, making AI education accessible beyond universities and specialist technology programmes

Describe Singapore: women and the workplace

• Singapore has introduced Flexible Work Arrangement Guidelines through the Ministry of Manpower to help employees manage work and family responsibilities.

Employees may request:

• Flexi-place: working from home, telecommuting or using a hybrid arrangement.

• Flexi-time: staggered start and finish times, flexible shifts or compressed work schedules.

• Flexi-load: part-time work or job-sharing with a proportionate workload and salary.

• Employers do not have to approve every request

• BUT must consider it properly and provide a written response within two months

• Rejected requests should include a reason and employers are encouraged to discuss alternatives

• Straits Times study found that 20% of women would consider resigning to care for children, parents or in-laws, compared with only 5% of men.

Describe Iceland Equal Pay Day

• Women’s rights organisations have used “Equal Pay Day” protests, in which women symbolically stop working at the time they would have earned the same annual income as men. 

• In 2018, Iceland introduced an equal-pay certification system requiring companies with 25 or more employees to prove that men and women receive equal pay for work of equal value.

Describe Japan: Long-Term Care Insurance

• Japan introduced universal Long-Term Care Insurance in 2000 to reduce the burden placed on families caring for older relatives. 

• The scheme is funded through compulsory contributions and taxation

• Eligible older people can receive services such as home help, day-care, nursing care and residential support. 

• In 2020, around 50% of people aged 65–69 were still employed, compared with an OECD average of approximately 23%

Describe New Zealand no retirement age

New Zealand does not impose a universal mandatory retirement age, allowing people to continue working if they wish and are able to do so

Describe Black Lives Matter

• Emerging as a decentralised online movement, it sought to expose the lived realities of racism and discrimination faced by Black Americans, particularly in cases of police brutality. 

• It was not until George Floyd's death that the movement reached its zenith.

• Footage of the incident circulated widely on social media and sparked an emotional response worldwide. 

• An estimated 15 to 26 million people joined protests across the United States, making it one of the largest protest movements in the nation’s history. 

• It is precisely such public pressure that led to the conviction of Derek Chauvin on multiple charges in 2021 and to a sentence of 22.5 years in prison

• Nike was widely praised during the rise of the Black Lives Matter 

• Campaigns Forever featuring athletes such as Colin Kaepernick positioned the company as a champion of equality and resistance against oppression -> soft power -> profits

Describe Arab Spring

• The uprisings began after the self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi in 2010

• Social media transformed a local grievance into a transnational movement. 

• Videos of protests and police crackdowns spread rapidly across borders, inspiring demonstrations in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and beyond. 

• In Egypt, online networks helped coordinate mass gatherings in Tahrir Square and amplified international awareness. 

• Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak initially responded to the Arab Spring protests with repression and concessions. 

• After 18 days of sustained demonstrations and mounting pressure from global actors, Mubarak stepped down on 11 February 2011. 

• Many hailed the end of the Mubarak regime, and celebrations were held in Tunisia and Lebanon.