As digital literacy becomes a cornerstone of modern education, global schools group Cognita is showing how technology can be used not just for innovation, but for impact. Across its network of more than 100 schools worldwide, students are learning vital tech skills by taking part in real-world challenges that link digital learning to social good.
This focus on purposeful technology comes at a time when demand for digital expertise is surging. According to the World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs Report, technological skills are expected to grow in importance faster than any others in the next five years.
Artificial intelligence, big data and cybersecurity top the list, and Cognita is helping its students get ahead by embedding those very skills into meaningful, creative projects.
Technology As a Bridge for Change
One of the most successful ways Cognita has brought this vision to life is through the Cognita Student Challenge, an annual global competition launched in 2024. The initiative invites students to develop innovative projects that tackle pressing real-world issues, from accessibility to sustainability.
Dr Simon Camby, Cognita’s Group Chief Education Officer, said the aim is to help students see technology as a connector, not just a subject.
“Technology is no longer just a subject – it’s the language of collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving. When students work together to use technology as a bridge between ideas, cultures and communities, they unlock their potential to create meaningful change. At Cognita, we’re cultivating environments where young people don’t just learn about innovation – they live it.”
The results of this approach have already begun to take shape in impressive ways. At St Andrews International School Sukhumvit 107 in Thailand, a student-led team created RoboOutreach – a robotics kit and curriculum that links local and international schools. The project expands access to STEM education and encourages global collaboration, ensuring that technological learning becomes inclusive rather than exclusive.
In Brazil, students at Instituto GayLussac took on the challenge of improving accessibility through technology. Their solution ,computer vision glasses for the visually impaired, uses Raspberry Pi hardware and machine learning to identify people, objects and text in real time. By harnessing open-source tools, they’ve created an affordable, practical innovation with real social value.
Meanwhile, at Colegio Manquecura Ciudad del Este in Chile, students turned their focus to the skies. Using recycled materials and low-cost components, they built a functioning radio telescope that allows other schools to engage in astronomy research without the high costs typically associated with the field. Their work highlights how creativity and collaboration can democratise science and make advanced technology more accessible to all.
Bringing AI into Everyday Learning
Cognita’s focus on innovation extends beyond student-led projects. The group has recently launched Cognita AI, a global platform designed to support teaching and learning across its network, starting with a leading personalised learning tool in partnership with Flint. The platform helps teachers tailor lessons, generate differentiated materials and provide instant feedback to students.
For students, it offers guided practice, creative idea generation and opportunities to build responsible AI literacy. Importantly, Cognita emphasises that the system is built with strong safeguards and teacher oversight to ensure ethical, age-appropriate use.
By integrating emerging technologies like AI directly into classrooms, Cognita is preparing young people not just to use technology, but to really understand it. Students gain practical experience with digital tools while learning how to think critically about the social, creative and ethical implications of their use.
A Generation Ready to Shape the Future
Together, the Cognita Student Challenge and Cognita AI reflect a broader philosophy: that technology, when taught through collaboration and purpose, can empower young people to make lasting change.
From robotics outreach in Thailand to machine learning projects in Brazil, Cognita’s students are redefining what it means to learn technology. They’re not waiting for the future of work to arrive – they’re building it themselves.
By giving young people the tools to combine digital skills with empathy and creativity, Cognita is nurturing a generation of tech-enabled changemakers who see innovation not as an abstract concept, but as a way to improve the world around them.
