With the election of the Labour government, the perennial problem of tinkering with the education system as a political priority has started in earnest. Of the major issues facing the recently reconfigured DES, are the questions of limited budget for investment in new and replacement edtech; the integration of AI into pedagogy; and the increased emphasis on sustainability. But choices still have to be made. Here are our thoughts
Education is expensive. In 2025, the UK government allocated approximately £63.7 billion to state-funded schools in England for pupils aged 5 to 16. This represents a significant increase compared to previous years and about 82% more than the £35 billion allocated in 2010–11. Pressures on this ostensibly vast sum come from a number of often competing directions: aside from the day-to-day operational costs for mainstream schools. Expansion of the free school meals programme accounted for an additional £410 million annually. About £615 million was set aside to support a 4% pay increase for teachers. Reforms to SEND provision has seen real-terms per-pupil funding expected to grow by about 0.9% annually. And yet, nowhere in this blizzard of stats and initiatives is there any direct reference to the digital infrastructure that supports actual teaching.
Sustainability
Indirectly, and where the political shuns align, as with ambitions to achieve Net Zero, there are some exceptions to this generalisation. Tim Allenden, Channel Team Leader, UK & Ireland, at i3CONNECT: “Energy-saving technologies like Power over Ethernet scheduling, smart sensors and intelligent standby are already built into today’s edtech solutions yet adoption in education is still lagging. The challenge is not really cost as there is no significant premium for these features, it is about awareness and confidence. Too often schools do not realise how simple these tools are to deploy or the scale of savings they can generate”. Allenden believes that the balance of responsibilities is at fault here: “That is why the responsibility lies with us as manufacturers. At i3CONNECT we have made energy efficiency a core part of our ecosystem. Our team actively trains educators and IT staff on how to get the most out of these tools, and with the launch of our free online training platform i3CONNECT Academy we can reach even more people. By making sustainability effortless we are helping budget-conscious institutions cut costs and meet their environmental goals at the same time.”
Peter Miller, Regional Manager at Vivitek EMEA is enthusiastic about a more formal approach to sustainability: “It would be great to see Sustainability Standards put in place for Public Sector Purchasing. However, what usually happens is there is very little thought put into it. The Public Sector is under massive financial pressure and the government will generally not increase the budget to pay for this. The pressure is then put on the manufacturer who will need to increase up front pricing to cover the associated costs. This is rarely accepted which is why so many important solutions get delayed or eventually cancelled.”
Energy saving, he goes on to say. is almost a universal requirement today, with widespread availability of energy-saving features and technologies but they are not widely adopted in education. Miller believes that: “In many cases, it’s either lack of awareness or users are worried that activating such features will be complicated or compromise the performance of the device. There’s also a mindset barrier to overcome, namely that making one small change won’t make that much difference to the environment. We must remind people it is the cumulative effect of everyone making small changes that creates a noticeable difference”.
Richard Horvath of Kramer adds: “A green AV standard would be useful. A lot of hardware is now PoE which is enabling the move towards sustainability within the AV sector; however, this type of hardware is often more costly, and this presents a catch 22 – circling back to my earlier points around lack of budget within EDU. The ZeeVee product range would certainly benefit from a green initiative within the Universities given its uncontested power efficiency. Control systems for automation (power down at specific times of day) could also be a big help towards reducing power usage along with the likes of Panta Rhei, to analyse data on hardware for end users to make smarter decisions on how technology enabled spaces are being utilised.”
“Essentially with most projects in education currently, we’re seeing small upgrades, or portions of campuses being refurbished rather than a complete overhaul of legacy solutions which makes any net zero mission a long-term plan – I don’t foresee much changing in the short term. While systems such as managed power distributors and PoE scheduling can easily be implemented into new or existing systems, older components can be power hungry when compared to more efficient newer devices.”
“Therefore controlling the power state of these older devices may not be as efficient or cost effective as replacing an entire 10-year-old system with a newer more efficient one, and also controlling the power of them might provide an order of magnitude less energy consumed. This is especially relevant to large PoE LAN switches with redundant power supplies. Newer ones are a lot more efficient.”
Future trends
Budget shortages have done little to stems the ambitions of educators in respect of new and emerging technologies. Peter Miller says: “While there is an appetite for AI across education, many establishments are weighing up its benefits and assessing where it can be used to add most value. It could be effective in completing time-consuming, mundane tasks that, while essential to teaching, impact educators’ time that is better spent on teaching or further lesson prep.”
He continues with a cautionary note: “I’m sure education will be cautious in its approach to AI adoption until there are assurances relating to its accuracy and safety and concerns about data security have been addressed. The challenge for education establishments will be to weigh-up whether they need AI – and xR – more than they need other technologies or solutions. Is AI a nice-to-have or a must-have? And, if budgets are limited, what should be excluded to make way for AI? Those are some of the questions that need to be answered.”
Miller is enthusiastic about increased support for SEND programmes: “It’s excellent to see that SEND investment is rising to the forefront in the quest to give each pupil or student a level learning platform via the provision of tailored tech solutions. Hopefully, that will fuel the pace at which ed tech evolves to support those with learning requirements. Arguably, there can never be ‘enough’ solutions. What’s important is that the IT and AV sector continues to invest in new solutions to meet as many learning requirements as possible.”
Richard Horvarth of Kramer believes that there is gap in provision in the SEND sector: “Not familiar with a great deal of tech / tools for SEND, however a bit of research suggests that lots of solutions exist, however they don’t all work cohesively and there is a gap in training. I can correlate this with the Kramer VIA. A great tool, which should in essence be simple to use, share content and start meetings but I have often seen that they have been installed and never fully adopted due to the lack of training.”
Increasing the sophistication of edtech tools has created a marked impact on the training overhead for educators and other users of edtech solution: “Responsibility for training users often varies depending on the solution. Whether the training is conducted by the manufacturer, the supplier or the education institutes’ internal IT team, the training process provides an excellent opportunity to gather feedback from the end user; is the solution fit for purpose? Does it meet their needs? What could be improved? What’s missing? What works well? This feedback loop is especially valuable in the context of end users with learning requirements due to their specific – and sometimes overlooked – requirements.”
Miller believes that resolving this issue may require change to current practice: “Generally, in AV, a vendor will often provide one open training session when the products (touchscreens etc) are installed, which is never enough for a successful take up of the technology. IT is much better as they generally work off a Service Agreement where they will provide ongoing support. For AV, Schools should find one or two ‘Super Users’ who understand the technology, and its benefits, and can support others internally on an ongoing basis.”
Who trains the teachers? Richard Horvarth concedes that the training issue is “A good point, and I believe it will come through various forms ie from the IT/AV department, certification boards, online training, and the vendors. I do think Vendors like ourselves really do need to do more here.”
Lightening the load
In addition to the direct costs of a new edtech installation educators need to be reassured that the effort involved in adoption will be reciprocated by the benefits arising from use of the solution: “We know that ed tech can help do a lot of the heavy-lifting from an admin perspective; but AV and UC can also acts as the ‘glue’ between students, parents and teachers, providing them with an easy-to-use platform that facilitates regular virtual meetings to discuss short-term or long-term issues. Such regular contact – as realised by AV and UC – can make the difference between resolving an issue quickly or dragging it out over a series of face-to-face meetings – which can be harder to organise when multiple stakeholders have to travel to one site, thus delaying resolution”, says Miller.
Horvarth believes that edtech itself may have the answer to the ever-expanding workload of educators: “Utilising software like PNTR Session manager can be a big help, Educators can walk into any room scan a QR code and have access to all files, folders, and meetings instantly. This saves a lot of prep, such as a user having to get into a room 30 mins prior to the lesson commencing to test the AV facilities, also eliminating the need to connect their laptops, which is not always straightforward for non-tech’s especially now USB-C is the key connector and still some rooms are not USB-C enabled – thus reducing any downtime.”
“While those who develop the LLMs that underpin many of the popular AI tools are responsible for addressing issues relating to bias and data security, it is reassuring to see the recent AI Safety summits have the backing of governments internationally. Even with that backdrop, education institutions should have policies in place that govern the safe use of such solutions. The responsible use of AI lies with users as much as developers. That governance is especially important when it comes to developing students’ critical thinking, creativity and interpersonal skills; AI should be an aid, and not a substitute for them, and teaching staff should reinforce that distinction.”
Even so, AI tools may not always align with national or local educational standards, making integration complex. At the extreme, generative AI can produce inaccurate or misleading content which is risky in educational settings: “There should be an element of common sense here; if you’re not sure about the impact of something, then use it cautiously whether there are guidelines in place or not. We could use the evolution of the internet as a proxy here; everyone rushed to embrace it, but few thought about its societal impact. To an extent, we mirrored this behaviour again in the race to embrace social media. We should weigh up the benefits of AI – and give a voice to those likely to be impacted by it the most – before it is unleashed enmasse. Until then, it should be used responsibly.”
Emerging edtech
AI’s rapid adoption is probably only paralleled by the emergence of the internet itself, and while other technologies have appeared on the market they are yet to proves their relevance to the education community. Richard Horvarth is keen observers and participants in the edtech market: “I’m not seeing a great deal of AR or XR but I think that’s down to a couple of reasons – (1) being the limited solutions in this space from an AV perspective and (2) being budget. These solutions are highly expensive and as we know too well, EDU budgets have been slashed across the whole country.” Horvarth continues: “This leads us into a simple answer to the next question around the increase in funding and if that would be enough for these types of solutions. I personally don’t think it will, the Universities are already pushing planned projects due to the lack of funds right now, so I would have to assume that any new budget will be required for other critical projects which have been delayed. Perhaps some budget will be retained, but as with standard AI technologies currently, a phased approach over a number of years seems most likely.”
The AI conundrum
Kramer regional manager Stephane Raulet gives her impressions of developments in edtech.
In the past year the focus for collaboration has been on improving user experience and leveraging AI (mainly with VC for hybrid set-ups). The key trends include AI-powered features like real-time transcription and smart framing, seamless integration with other tools, and a growing emphasis on BYOD/BYOM setups for more flexible meeting / teaching experiences.
This isn’t easy to implement for early education and some Universities, especially with the inflation that we’ve experienced. The EDU budgets may have increased in value but the education sector doesn’t seem to have a higher buying power than when I join Kramer back in 2020; however the top Universities with international students need features like live translations for foreign students, who in some cases represent over 70% of their revenues (I did try to integrate Cabolo with Kramer, but that was more challenging than climbing Mount Everest so I had to park it!) .
Based on what I’ve seen this year, the ongoing effort from the industry is to integrate AI in Video Conferencing systems for hybrid learning combined with the rise of immersive experience with Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality. AI is enhancing features like noise cancellation, speaker tracking and meeting / teaching transcription, while VR/AR is making virtual meetings more interactive and realistic. Again, this is something that some of the bigger Universities have looked at.
For hybrid teaching, the needs and priorities also revolve around:
•the rollout of 5G networks to enhance video calls quality and stability, so 5G users are the ones it benefits the most as they are getting lower latency and higher speeds, even in places where connectivity was previously limited.
•collaboration platforms being focused on improving user experience through simplified layouts, faster loading times, and more intuitive interfaces.
•increased security and privacy measures (NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO USE THE CLOUD!).
•Sustainability based on eco-friendly, energy-efficient technologies. Systems should be designed with longevity in mind to reduce environmental impacts of AV installations (that was a hot recurring topic at the LTSMG).
Making the grade: Pro AV and Digital Signage for education
As the 2025–26 academic year begins, educators face a familiar challenge: how to engage students in increasingly digital classrooms while working within shrinking budgets, limited IT resources, and growing expectations for sustainability and accessibility. But are the solutions offered to education simply too complicated for education users to deploy, adopt and maintain?
For many schools and universities, AV and digital signage solutions are no longer just ‘nice-to-haves’ – they’re integral to communication, learning, and campus-wide collaboration. “Education has always been a huge vertical for us,” said Richard Horvath, Regional Account Manager at Kramer, in a recent conversation. “Even with budget cuts, institutions are still looking for reliable, flexible solutions. But more than anything, they want simplicity. They want systems that work without needing a full-time technician in every room.” That theme – making technology simpler – echoed throughout this discussion and reflects the realities that schools face at every level, from K-12 classrooms to sprawling university lecture halls.
End-to-end isn’t optional
One of the key shifts in the education market is the move toward end-to-end AV ecosystems. Horvath noted that while Kramer was historically known for signal management – matrix switchers, extenders, and the like – the company’s evolution into a full-stack AV provider has allowed it to serve more complex education needs from start to finish. “We’re now able to lead a conversation whether someone needs a cable or a fully connected lecture theatre,” he said. “And it’s not just about stacking products – it’s about ensuring they all work together and can be deployed and managed simply.” This is especially important in education, where systems are expected to run with minimal intervention. “The IT team might only visit a room when something goes wrong – and sometimes that’s already too late,” Horvath pointed out.
Designing for the reality of teaching
Teachers and students aren’t AV experts, nor should they have to be. “That’s why simplicity is so important. The last thing you want is a system that distracts from teaching or causes anxiety,” said Horvath. Modern matrix switchers and presentation systems now incorporate multiple video inputs and outputs, USB-C connectivity, wireless casting, built-in audio amplification, and video wall support – all in one box. These kinds of systems make it easier for schools to streamline their technology stack while offering future-proof capabilities like Dante audio, USB 3.0, and AV-over-IP readiness.
USB-C, in particular, has emerged as a universal connector across many of the products in the education space. It enables one-cable simplicity for power, audio, video, and data – meaning students can walk in with their devices and plug in without fiddling with adapters or dongles.
BYOD and wireless flexibility
If COVID-19 accelerated the push toward hybrid learning, the post-pandemic landscape has cemented Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) as a long-term reality in education. “It’s actually growing,” Horvath explained. “Institutions realised they don’t need to over-engineer every room with dedicated, licensed systems. With BYOD, you’re more agile. You can deploy rooms faster, with fewer costs and no per-room licenses.”
One wireless presentation system allows four users to present simultaneously, supports high-resolution streaming, and enables wireless USB connectivity between student laptops and in-room cameras, displays, and microphones. These small, app-powered devices reduce cabling needs, allow for plug-and-play usage, and can even generate their own hotspot to avoid overloading school networks. “Some of the feedback we’ve gotten is about how seamless it is,” Horvath said. “It’s not just easy to set up – it’s easy to use, even for staff who aren’t tech-savvy.”
Accessibility is key
User-friendliness also translates into accessibility gains, especially for students with visual or mobility impairments. One feature Horvath highlighted was the ability for students in large rooms to view the main display directly on their personal device – whether that’s a laptop, tablet, or phone – so no one is squinting from the back row. “And there are other features too, like colour-adjustment settings for colourblind users and text enhancements,” he said. “They don’t get talked about enough, but they really matter.”
Sustainable solutions for strained budgets
Sustainability is another area where education institutions are demanding more – not just for the planet, but for the total cost of ownership. “Some of the newer AV-over-IP encoders and decoders use half the power of competing models,” Horvath noted. “Over five years, with 100 devices, that energy efficiency adds up — both financially and in terms of environmental impact.”
LED displays, increasingly popular across university campuses, also offer sustainability benefits over traditional video walls, requiring less frequent replacements and less energy overall. Plus, LED video walls allow for modular repairs; swapping out an LED panel is far easier and cheaper than replacing an entire display.
Add in remote device management, firmware updates, and the ability to schedule system behaviour from a central portal, and it’s easy to see how sustainability ties directly into smarter operations.
Centralised management and preventative support
For IT staff overseeing dozens or even hundreds of rooms across a campus, the challenge is not just deployment but management. That’s where centralised software platforms – like Kramer’s new vendor-agnostic Panta Rhei software – enter the picture. “The goal is to give staff a single pane of glass,” Horvath said. “You can monitor every room, every device, across every building – even if they’re not all from the same manufacturer.”
This capability is especially valuable for preventative maintenance. If a projector or camera goes offline, the system can trigger a support ticket, send an alert via Microsoft Teams or Slack, or even integrate directly with service desk platforms like JIRA or ServiceNow. “The beauty is that IT teams can fix problems before the class even starts,” Horvath said.
Advice for educators: think long-term, think simple
For school administrators and IT decision-makers heading into the new school year, Horvath’s advice is straightforward: embrace scalable solutions that are easy to use, easy to manage and built to grow. “AV-over-IP is where things are going because you can start small and expand as needed,” he said. “Traditional matrix switchers still have their place – especially in lecture halls – but for schools thinking long-term, flexibility is key.”
And when evaluating new technology, don’t underestimate the power of the USB-C cable – a humble connector that now carries video, audio, power, and data all in one. As Horvath put it: “It’s not just a cable. It’s the starting point for an end-to-end system that supports everything from lesson delivery to remote monitoring.”
For educators, students, and support staff alike, that kind of clarity is priceless, because it allows them to focus their time and energy on teaching and learning. Even in the age of AI and quantum computing, the advice of Thoreau is more essential than ever: “Simplify, simplify.”
