The global education system continues to face several fundamental challenges despite technological advancements over the past decade.
According to Unesco’s 2025 SDG 4 Scorecard which focuses on monitoring education finance, there was a sharp decline in education aid in 2024; only 29% of the education funding needs were met in humanitarian appeals. The global out-of-school population also shot up to 272 million, with developing economies accounting for the larger share. Meanwhile, in advanced economies, for example the U.S., outstanding student debt is at a record high of $1.7 trillion.
Going by these numbers, it is clear that the global education system is in dire need of an upgrade. But what solutions are best suitable to alleviate the existing pains? While the covid-19 era gave life to digital learning through platforms like Zoom, these ecosystems do not address all the major problems. They include fractured access, verifiability of certificates, rising costs, access to financing and making the learning experience more fun, interactive and rewarding.
Enter Web3 – the third iteration of the internet introduces an opportunity to reimagine the global education system. Instead of institutions controlling access and accreditation, this nascent area of innovation leverages blockchain technology to pioneer a borderless education system. Learners also have an opportunity to access and participate in more immersive digital learning experiences through metaverse worlds such as the ICB Verse educational city.
How Web3 Can Add Value to Education
So, how exactly can Web3 infrastructures add value to the current education systems? While there are several ways through which this tech could be of benefit, this article will focus on five key areas where Web3 is already making a difference in education:
Self-Sovereign Identities and Verifiable Credentials
In the traditional education system, the process of proving the legitimacy of one’s certificates is often a bureaucratic process that probably involves dealing with slow authorities. Web3 through blockchain technology introduces the concept of on-chain provenance, allowing learners to use cryptographic proofs that are immutable to show that they’ve completed a course, earned a skill or participated in a certain program. A good example of such a system is MIT’s NFT-based digital diplomas whose verifiability can be proven on Blockcerts.
Tokenized Incentives for Learning
This is another area where Web3 is radically changing the approach to education. Instead of learners paying to be educated as is the norm with traditional e-learning platforms, Web3-focused learning ecosystems are incentivizing learners with tokens to learn or complete tasks. DAO-based learning models such as the one being offered by Bankless Academy are able to incentivize learners by pulling resources from the different partners. In this case, Bankless has partnered with prominent names such as Gitcoin, Optimism, 1inch, Zerion and Rocket Pool.
On-chain Records for Borderless and Trustless Collaboration
Almost similar to the idea of sovereign identities, Web3 is inherently capable of serving as a ‘trust’ infrastructure layer between different institutions or scholars who want to collaborate. The solution is straightforward; Web3 innovations such as the Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS) allow anyone to create, verify and store attestations on the blockchain in a standardized manner. What this means is that Ethereum is entrusted with storing statements of truth which can be used to prove anything, from education credentials, research contributions, accreditations to social trust.
Immersive and Futuristic Learning Experiences
Imagine being able to attend classes by some of the renowned global professors regardless of one’s geographical location or financial position, this is what futuristic Web3 learning platforms like ICB Verse are trying to make a reality. This pioneer metaverse education city is building a Web3-powered platform where learners will be able to gain exclusive access to premier institutions, engage with AI clones of historic and contemporary icons and become eligible for airdrops and rewards. The beauty is that prospective learners only need an NFT to access the ecosystem as well as other unique benefits.
Decentralized Funding Initiatives
As mentioned in the introduction, funding towards education has taken a hit over the past year. What if the world didn’t have to rely on a handful of organizations? Web3’s Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) structure is not only suitable for governance but also fundraising initiatives. With DAOs, stakeholders can raise educational funds and track the spending through the blockchain. There are also already established projects such as Ethereum’s Giveth which seeks to bridge the gap in education funding by allowing anyone to contribute. More importantly, the donations are tracked on-chain for transparency and accountability.
Looking Into the Future
Web3 is already being integrated on a larger scale across several industries; it is about time the education sector starts to benefit from the value proposition of this technology. While it may take some time before it becomes the norm, Web3 promises a future where education systems are transparent, borderless and composable. If done correctly, future learners will not have to deal with some of the pressing issues such as trust deficit, accessibility and financing costs.
There are even greater possibilities with the combination of newer technologies such as AI and VR. The former has the potential to personalize learning experiences at scale as blockchain acts as the infra layer. On the other hand, VR can easily be integrated into the metaverse experiences to simulate complex learning environments, from a chemistry lab, an archaeological dig to a mock UN assembly.
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