THE CHAIRHOLDER

Prof. Abtar Darshan Singh

Professor of Innovative Learning. Director, Digital Learning Hub.
APU UNESCO Chair on Harnessing Innovations in Technology to Support Teachers & Quality Learning

Prof. Abtar Darshan Singh drives research, training and knowledge-sharing on harnessing innovations in technology to support teachers and quality learning, in Malaysia and across developing economies in Asia and beyond. Under her leadership, the Chair has trained thousands of educators, built a regional network of institutions, and equipped teachers with the tools and ethical guidance to make hybrid and AI-enhanced learning work in their own settings.
The APU UNESCO Chair is ably supported by the Digital Learning Hub at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation 

The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, established in 1992, connects universities worldwide to advance research, training and knowledge-sharing on the challenges that matter most.
The APU-UNESCO Chair on Harnessing Innovations in Technology to Support Teachers & Quality Learning takes on one of them: how technology can genuinely improve teaching and learning and how to make sure it does so fairly.

The technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,  artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, are already reshaping classrooms. Used well, they can transform the role of the teacher: freeing their time, deploying their expertise where it counts, and augmenting what they do. Used carelessly, they can deepen inequity and repeat mistakes made in very different contexts.

Much of what we know about these technologies was learned in Western settings. The Chair exists to test what actually transfers to Asia and Africa — and to share what does, carefully.

Working through a network of stakeholders in national and regional contexts, the Chair provides resources and guidance that help educators harness 4IR technologies while mitigating their risks and anchored to UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals.