How to Future Proof Our Education Systems and The Students

Humanitarian Advisors have written extensively about the importance of education and the ingredients for a great education system.  We are failing future generations by continuing to delivery education with mixed access and quality.  We know that nearly 100 million have no access to education, but the larger problem is the hundreds of millions of children that have no access to quality education.

Our education systems continue to focus on and reward memorization and standardization and not job readiness.  Education has always been the bridge - or wall – between the rich and poor.  Even before the corona pandemic, teachers and children lack the required resources and skills.  Economically, socially, and morally, the arguments for improved education are obvious.  Ensuring today’s and tomorrow’s children have the capacity to lead fulfilling lives and participate and contribute to the world’s economy is of vital importance to everyone.

We live in a time of constant change, disruption, and rapid innovation.  Workers need to be agile, adaptable, and equipped with robust emotion intelligence and critical analysis.  We know that one third of children are concerned that their schools are not preparing them for future jobs.  This fear is well founded. The WEF Future Jobs Report identified that 60 percent of future jobs have not been created yet, and by 2035, 40 percent of people will need to self-employed.  Entrepreneurial skills will become even more important.

Quality education would provide learners with capabilities and competencies required to make them economically productive, develop sustainable livelihoods, enhance individual well-being and contribute to community. The impact orientation will help shift our gaze away from behaviour and activities (attending school and checking the box) to value-creation environments (from personalized learning and career counselling to job readiness.

So whilst education needs to be transformed to make it more relevant, it also needs to be more accessible for all. In 2020, there are still 750 million illiterate adults globally, let alone those adults who do not have the necessary education to participate effectively in today’s workforce.  Accessibility has many aspects including how technology can be better harmonized; how we can avoid the brain drain of the best talent from developing to developed countries; and how access to basic literacy and numeracy in all developing countries can be made available to every child. The inclusion of all children and ensuring a basic minimum standard for all children regardless of location, background, or gender must be achieved.