The Future of Education

For everyone who knows me, will get the sentiment of this article and just how passionate I get about the ‘education’ topic. The reason this is so close to my heart is because I could write a book about it from three aspects 1) my own journey and first-hand experience of the education system across locations and countries; 2) having spent some time in recruitment and people related roles, I know the ‘pain’ of talent shortages for companies (though this is debatable), and 3) having a Gen-Z growing in my own family. I am not yet looking to write a book, but wanted to share some of my views on the education system.

My Journey

I have spent 15 years of my life in a formal education system in some of the best schools in Eastern Europe and the Western World. However while feeling ‘oh, so proud’ about my achievements, I also recognise that I never enjoyed the education system (loved the party, naturally!). I felt trapped in it, both physically and intellectually. Goes without saying, that I have always been ambitious, driven and vocal. I have this relentless curiosity that desires and welcomes constructive and intellectual debate, which often has been (and still is!) mistaken for being difficult or rebellious (though this comes as a default tag when you’re a female).

The education system was invented in the industrial age when prevailing norms were standardisation and compliance. Students were educated in batches and teachers trained once for their entire working lives. In a recent G20 Global Solutions Forum Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at OECD, said that ‘The industrial age taught us how to educate second-class robots. People who are good at memorising and repeating to what they’re told. But what makes us first-class humans?’

Hunger For Talent

In my recruitment career, I often heard that there is not enough talent out there. Allow me to debate this for a moment… I see the frustration about the talent market not being a one-stop-shop, where you go and pick up whatever you need off-the-shelf, or even better, customise it so you can keep the good bits and get rid of what you’re not interested in. I will however argue that there is ample talented, ambitious and hungry for knowledge people walking this Earth, however the industry does not invest enough to develop and nurture their own in-house talent and develop their own future pipeline. Instead they rely on the education system to produce them something future-proof. But how can that happen when our education system still lives in the mid-20th century at best?!

However when does the education start and finish? Really, it should be about a lifetime learning system and a lifelong experience.

The Future Generation

Learning starts at home. Children have a raw sense of curiosity and parents play a huge role in teaching and setting an example. However how can we prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, tackle societal challenges that we can’t yet imagine, and use technologies that have not yet been invented?

This pandemic has allowed us to start reimagining how, where, when and what we (and our children) learn. However on the other it has uncovered even more new weaknesses and cracks of the education system. The key two being:

1.      Inequality. There are still vast numbers of people with no access to education, let alone digital devices as education moves online. How can more people participate to the new formats of learning?

2.      The current curriculum is not fit to support and prepare the new generation for the current fast-paced and changing world, as it still focuses on 50's and 60's cognitive psychology, i.e. capturing IQ through achievement tests.

Mckinsey & Company recently analysed more than 1,000 local labour markets and came to a conclusion that there are four key priorities for addressing today’s issues and tomorrow’s eventualities. A the first one they call out the need to create educational system that are preparing students to succeed by educating them in such in-demand subjects as STEM, as well as creating partnerships between educators and employers to help in the design of career-relevant curricula.

There will be a new array of skills required to help us manage the formidable tools at our disposal, including critical information assessment, making ethical judgement and coming up with creative solutions for complex problems. James J. Heckman from University of Chicago additionally calls out self-mastery, self-motivation, cooperation and physical awareness (awareness of healthy life and healthy diet).

In conclusion, what the world requires is innovators who challenge institutional structures that are built around educators and learners. Innovators who are sincere about social change. Innovators, who inspire students to learn, teachers to teach and school systems to be more effective. It is important that we bring the sense of purpose back to the classroom, and reshape the education system for the 21st century.

Sources and recommended reading: