Recycled Learning: How AI Can Democratise Education for the World’s Most Underserved Learners

Introduction: The Urgency of Rethinking Access

In a world where over 244 million UNESCO children are still out of school, and millions more attend school without access to quality instruction or future-ready skills, we must ask: Are we innovating for the privileged, or are we designing for the world?

As an EdTech innovator and global educator working across 14 countries, I’ve seen firsthand how the best educational ideas often fail to reach those who need them most. That’s why I founded Recycled Learning for kids—a bold, AI-powered learning initiative designed to transform how children aged 7 to 14 access education, no matter their background, device, or zip code.

This isn’t only about digitising content. It’s about creating a learning revolution—rooted in equity, driven by AI, and scaled through intentional partnerships.

The Origin Story: From Books to Bots

The journey began with books —144 of them to be exact. We designed interactive, child-friendly series that introduced young learners to five critical life skills:

• Leadership
• Entrepreneurship
• Strategy
• Financial Literacy
• Sustainability

But we quickly realised that books alone weren’t enough. Children in many regions lacked access to trained teachers, had no follow-up assessments, and couldn’t always apply what they learned.

So we asked: What if we could adapt this content into an intelligent, personalised, and interactive digital system?
What followed was the creation of Recycled Learning—an AI-augmented platform that assesses each child’s learning profile, adapts lesson delivery accordingly, and offers continuous feedback to students, teachers, and even parents.

Today, we’re piloting this platform in over 350 schools across Africa, Europe, and the UK—bringing future-ready education to the hands of over 10,000 learners and counting.

What Makes This Work: Five Pillars of Impact

1. AI with Purpose

We use AI not for novelty, but for precision and personalisation.
Every child starts with a diagnostic tool that determines their preferred learning style, existing knowledge, and behavioural patterns. From there, the platform adjusts the content flow—whether through gamified challenges, narrated journeys, or scenario-based missions.

Our algorithms don’t just track performance. They understand the learner, making each journey as unique as the child behind the screen.

2. Blended Learning for Reality

We support all learners with limited, stable or unstable internet access. That’s why we designed a hybrid delivery model: That’s why we designed a hybrid delivery model:

• Print-based content with QR-linked audio narration
• Offline-first mobile app capability
• Microlearning modules supported by teacher dashboards

This makes Recycled Learning accessible whether you’re in New York, Lagos, London, or a low-bandwidth community in rural Ghana.

3. Scalable Partnerships

Education doesn’t scale through tech alone—it scales through people.
We’ve built partnerships with:

• Local and national school systems
• Governments incorporating these initiatives into national curricula for scalable, sustainable impact.
• NGOs working on youth development and digital inclusion
• Universities seeking to research and apply new pedagogical frameworks
• Corporations with strong CSR agendas focused on education equity

These partnerships have allowed us to adapt Recycled Learning for kids across languages, curricula, and cultural contexts.

4. Skills That Matter

Rather than follow a rigid school curriculum, we focus on real-world competencies:

• How to lead with empathy
• How to build and pitch a business idea
• How to manage money and make value-driven decisions
• How to build strategy from challenges
• How to live sustainably and create change

This helps us raise learners who are not just academically competent—but economically, socially, and environmentally aware.

5. Data-Informed Educator Support

Through our connected Teacher Learning Management System, we train educators to deliver 21st-century skills using both the platform and physical books. Teachers can track student progress, receive AI-recommended interventions, and contribute feedback that improves the model continuously.

The Equity Question: Who Are We Really Building For?

The EdTech space is flooded with tools designed for well-funded classrooms, 1:1 device programs, and tech-savvy parents. But the true innovation lies in building systems for the learner who has none of that—and still deserves everything.

Recycled Learning for kids was designed for the margins:

• The child who only has access to a shared tablet once a week
• The child who learns better through storytelling than instruction
• The child whose teachers haven’t received formal digital training
• The student who wants to lead but doesn’t yet have the language or tools

And yet, these are also the children who represent the greatest hope for transformation in our global education systems.

The Big Question for OEB Attendees

As you prepare for OEB 2025 in Berlin, here’s one question I invite you to reflect on:

What would the future of education look like if we stopped innovating for convenience—and started innovating for necessity?

Why You Should Join My Session

If you’re a policymaker, NGO leader, EdTech builder, or educator who believes that access should not determine a child’s destiny, this session is for you.

You’ll walk away with:

• A proven, adaptable model for scaling AI-powered education globally
• Insights into partnerships that work across borders and sectors
• A hands-on demonstration of the Recycled Learning platform
• Case studies from 14 countries
• A toolkit to adapt this model in your own environment
  
  

Final Thought

Education is not just a system—it is a lifeline.
Let’s ensure that lifeline reaches everyone, everywhere.

Join us at OEB 2025 and be part of the revolution.

Dr. Ona Newton is the founder of Recycled Learning and CEO of Tobams Group. She leads AI-powered talent and education initiatives across 14 countries and is a keynote speaker, author, and global advocate for inclusive education.

Written for OEB 2025 by Ona Newton.


Join Ona for her Presentation “Recycled Learning: AI-Powered Pathways in Global Education” at OEB25.