Yogyakarta, September 15, 2026 — The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is increasingly influencing the ways people learn and teach, has brought new challenges to education. Amid these changes, an important question has emerged: how can education continue to advance without leaving any learner behind?
This question was among the key issues discussed at the Kalijaga International Conference on Education (KICE) 2026, held at the 1st-Floor Convention Hall of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta on Tuesday (September 15, 2026). Carrying the theme “Innovation toward Education: Shaping the Future of Learning,” the conference brought together academics from Australia, Singapore, and Indonesia to exchange ideas on the future of education amid global change.
Three perspectives were presented by Prof. Dianne Chambers of Edith Cowan University, Australia; Dr. Elizabeth Koh Ruilin of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; and Dr. Adi Nur Cahyono of Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia. Their presentations explored the future of education from different perspectives, ranging from inclusive education and the use of AI and pedagogical innovation to environmentally based learning and approaches connected to real-world issues.
For UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, bringing together perspectives from different countries is part of its effort to broaden academic dialogue on education. KICE 2026 serves not only as a forum for discussing developments in educational theory, but also as a space for educators and learners to reflect on how learning should be designed to remain relevant in a changing world.
Rethinking Inclusive Education
The first perspective was presented by Prof. Dianne Chambers, who encouraged participants to view inclusive education from a broader perspective. In her presentation on inclusive and special education, she emphasized that inclusion is not limited to providing educational access for learners with disabilities.
Rather, inclusive education should accommodate the diversity of learners, including differences in ways of thinking, religion, socioeconomic backgrounds, and physical abilities.