Philanthropy fostering the digitization of education governance in Europe

This presentation focuses on the growing presence of non-state actors in education governance in Europe in the recent years. It takes a self-proclaimed “new Pan-European digital education initiative", the SkillsUpload Jr program, as an example of the creation of new policy spaces, triggered by a collective of private foundations in connection to other state and non-state actors. The SkillsUpload Jr program was created in 2021 by the Vodafone Foundation with eight European Vodafone Foundations in Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Romania, and Turkey. Mainly financed by a multinational Tech company, these foundations made an investment of twenty million euros to expand digital skills and education programmes and to change how technology is used and taught in schools. Aiming to reach sixteen million learners by two thousand twenty-five, to date, the program has involved around nine hundred thousand students and teachers in primary and secondary education in Europe. Drawing on document analysis and interviews, our findings illustrate how the program transcends European borders, bringing together actors from diverse social realms, including international organisations, national public authorities, European private foundations, EdTech businesses, academia, and EdTech experts. The self-organising capacity of private foundations is highlighted, showcasing their ability to produce, exchange, and leverage knowledge to address the European digital gap collaboratively. These insights will be discussed in the context of how non-state actors contribute to the digitization of education governance, reshaping the educational landscape and envisioning a future where digital skills, mastered and addressed by private foundations, play a crucial role in education governance.