At this year’s CIES conference, our two panels, “Shadow Education in a Digital Age: Parental Choices and Policy Impacts” and “Shadow Education in a Digital Age: Evolving Provision, Diverse Functions, and Varying Effects,”brought together scholars from around the world to explore the evolving landscape of shadow education in the digital era. Through insightful presentations and engaging discussions, the sessions shed light on how digitization, parental decision-making, and policy shifts are shaping shadow education globally.

Another highlight showcasing CERC’s presence at the conference was the film screening of National Exam. The film is inspired by Nutsa Kobakhidze’s (CERC’s former director) 2018 book, Teachers as Tutors: Shadow Education Market Dynamics in Georgia, and is co-produced by her with partial funding from CERC.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all presenters for their valuable contributions and to the attendees for their thoughtful engagement. Your participation made these sessions a truly meaningful exchange of ideas. We look forward to continuing these important conversations in the future!