Lavanya, 18, juggles being a student, a caregiver, a wage earner, a tutor, and a dance teacher, as she is responsible for supporting her family. She starts her day at 6 a.m. and doesn’t return home until 8 p.m., when she can focus on her homework.

Lavanya’s story is just one of countless experiences faced by young people growing up in adverse circumstances in India and in many other countries throughout the Global South. It is clear that the traditional model of education—and the model of schools themselves—has failed to prepare us, and to prepare our children, to understand, make sense of, and adapt to an increasingly complex and uncertain world.

The debate over educational reform that prepares children for the jobs of the future has intensified in recent years. This approach has proven to be outdated for three simple reasons:

1. The future is now!

The oft-repeated assertion that children (and young people?) will face an uncertain job market in a world that is changing at an ever-faster pace is already a reality. This so-called “uncertain future” is already changing as you read this article. 

We are living in a time that calls for reflection and critical thinking: Have we done enough to prepare children and young people for the complex and uncertain reality that has been further exacerbated by the pandemic?

2. Economic growth vs. prioritizing well-being

Dealing with the pandemic meant that, for the first time in history, human beings were forced to slow down. Suddenly, the idea that economic growth is the only measure of a nation’s success changed completely. 

Today, almost against our will, we are being forced to prioritize health and well-being far more than economic considerations. And this is for our own good—and for the good of the planet as well. Countries such as Finland, New Zealand, Iceland, and Slovakia—which already prioritized the health and well-being of their citizens—fared better in dealing with the crisis caused by the pandemic, while others faced numerous difficulties.

Are we, then, facing a turning point that could define a new purpose for education, leading to a new way of responding to reality?

3. Can education be the solution to addressing systemic inequalities?

The current crisis has clearly shown us just how much the systemic inequalities in our society affect the poor and marginalized far more than the general population. When an 8th-grade student—who shares a cell phone with four other people at home—has to choose between buying mobile data and buying food, and is still barred from joining an online class because she’s five minutes late, aren’t we simply transferring biases that were previously experienced in person to the online environment? What role does education play in changing this situation?

Before seeking quick solutions to issues such as those mentioned above, we need to pause, reflect, and ask what role education plays in a world that is so complex and changes so rapidly—a world where children face difficult circumstances throughout their lives. This moment of reflection is what will help us envision possible futures in education where every child can thrive. 

To transform the way we approach education, we propose the following changes:

Development as the Purpose of Education

As long as education is driven by exams and rankings and measured by individual success, it will serve only the 10 or 15 percent of the most privileged people on the planet. To ensure educational equity and dignity for all children, we need to reinvent the purpose of education and redefine what it means to succeed in the 21st century. In a world of constant change, with many unique challenges, rigid definitions of success based on job titles, salaries, and social status are outdated.

We need an entirely new approach to education grounded in development, one in which each person develops a range of skills, values, and competencies that make them responsible, resilient, and happy. An approach in which individual development is intrinsically linked to families, society, and the planet, which is also in the process of development.

The Role of Life Planning and Social-Emotional Skills in Combating Inequalities in Education

Justin Van Fleet, executive director of the “Global Business Coalition for Education,” noted that by 2030 there will be 1.6 billion young people worldwide, andless than half of them will have the basic skills needed to contribute to society.

We need to look beyond issues of academic excellence and help young people grow and prepare for the future. Life planning and social-emotional learning are approaches that can assist in this effort. This can be achieved through specific after-school programs in schools that incorporate art, music, and culture, for example. 

It is also possible to address these issues through innovative approaches such as entrepreneurship, “Curricula for Happiness,” and curricula focused on citizenship. This requires a significant shift in the way we teach and learn, moving away from a more instructional pedagogy toward one that is more focused on empathy and hands-on activities. 

This process requires that the role of the teacher shift from someone who merely delivers content to someone who “facilitates learning.” This means moving away from a school system organized by grade levels and ages and toward a more holistic approach, one capable of creating opportunities for all children to learn at their own pace and, in doing so, develop the skills to become lifelong learners.

An environment that helps every child thrive

These possible futures for education, in which every child develops on an equal footing, require a collaborative approach and a collaborative ecosystem that involves various stakeholders in the school community—such as families, teachers, and administrators—as well as society at large.

Conclusion

Telling children, in the current situation, that education is the path to success is one of our biggest lies. It is no longer true, given the many challenges, inequalities, and complexities of the future. If we are committed to the idea that education is truly a path for every child to succeed—and through them, to improve the world—then we need to address our privileges, biases, and prejudices that have led the world into poverty. 

We must redesign education with a focus on development, highlighting the central role that “life skills” and social-emotional skills play in preparing children for growth, and ultimately address the challenges of education as a whole ecosystem rather than in isolation.