Dr Shafika Isaacs is Chief of Section for Technology and AI in Education at UNESCO in Paris, where she provides strategic leadership on the use of technologies and AI in education. She also serves as Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg and is an international specialist in digital learning, AI, and education. 

Dr Isaacs has devoted herself to building communities, coaching professionals, supporting major global, regional, and national initiatives on digital learning policy and large-scale education programs, including UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework for Teachers and AI research in African Primary education. As Founding Executive Director of SchoolNet Africa, she helped pioneer equitable and justice-driven use of technology in schools across 16 African countries.