This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com. Achieving Equitable Education argues that critical gaps in education data are hampering the achievement of one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: “inclusive and equitable quality education…for all”. This book critically explores education data gaps across regions, themes and levels of education, highlighting key relationships and disconnects between national, regional and global data needs.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to address some of the biggest challenges in education today, innovate teaching and learning practices, and ultimately accelerate the progress towards SDG 4. However, these rapid technological developments inevitably bring multiple risks and challenges, which have so far outpaced policy debates and regulatory frameworks. This publication offers guidance for policy-makers on how best to leverage the opportunities and address the risks, presented by the growing connection between AI and education. It starts with the essentials of AI: definitions, techniques and technologies. It continues with a detailed analysis of the emerging trends and implications of AI for teaching and learning, including how we can ensure the ethical, inclusive and equitable use of AI in education, how education can prepare humans to live and work with AI, and how AI can be applied to enhance education. It finally introduces the challenges of harnessing AI to achieve SDG 4 and offers concrete actionable recommendations for policy-makers to plan policies and programmes for local contexts. [Publisher summary, ed]

Prof. Arun C Mehta worked at the premier National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), New Delhi for almost four decades (1980 to 2019) and authored numerous books, published articles in journals of repute, and written research reports based on one of the largest databases of the World, namely the Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE) which he nurtured about two decades. He had written extensively in the areas of educational planning, education for all, demographic & enrolment projections, indicators of educational development, and data analysis. In the present book, Prof. Mehta presents a select 27 articles which are grouped into five broad headings, such as (i) Educational Statistics & EMIS (ii) Indicators of Educational Development (iii) Demographic & Enrolment Projections (iv) Educational Data Analysis & (v) Education for All. Apart, a complete list of his contribution has also been annexed. Renowned social scientist and former Director of NIEPA, New Delhi Prof. Kuldeep Mathur has written the foreword of the book. Prof. R Govinda, Prof. Marmar Mukhopadhyay, Prof. G. D Sharma, Dr. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, Shri Baldev Mahajan, Late Shri B. P. Khandelwal, Mr, Simon Ellis of UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Montreal, Prof. Pradeep Kumar Joshi, Former Director NIEPA and presently Chairman of Union Public Service Commission and Prof. Najma Akhtar, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi has commented on the research of Prof. Mehta.

In recent years, the world has been changing considerably. Within the many obstacles, barriers, and opportunities, three significant challenges should be considered for the future planning of our territories and cities: seeking to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), facing climate change, and performing a shift towards digitalization. Considering these three challenges, we can work toward a more sustainable future for the environment. The Handbook of Research on Sustainable Development Goals, Climate Change, and Digitalization elaborates on sustainability issues in the planning and development field regarding the environment. This text promotes understanding about the dynamics, challenges, and opportunities for the new decade regarding our common future planning. Covering topics such as circular economy, economic-ecological principles, and sustainable resilience, this book is essential for academicians, researchers, policymakers, environmentalists, scientists, technicians, decision makers, practitioners, and students.