Introduction

What a question! Loaded (indeed) and on so many levels. Nonetheless, we have decided to address the shortcomings of the (not so) contemporary education system from our perspective to conclude that the current approaches are outdated and the slow evolution does not meet the needs of present and future generations.

We took on this challenge because the topic of education is at the core of our project at levol and it is a subject that we are extremely passionate about. After a series of mostly disappointing experiences, we found ourselves entering adulthood feeling disappointed by the systems that are supposedly designed to prepare us for the future. When we stopped to assess this situation, we found we were not alone. It is increasingly clear that this issue is at the core of what plagues the development of our generations. Despite many efforts, the vast majority of the people will agree that the painfully slow evolution does not meet the needs of present generations - let alone the pressing need of the future.

Perhaps you share in this sentiment of frustration, disappointment and lack of empowerment. If you do, know you are not alone, but more importantly know that there is something you can do. A good place to start is by understanding the problem. So here we are. This article will do its very best to cover the basics in an attempt to build a better understanding of what is happening and where it all went wrong. But...we will also try something new by taking it a small step further. We will share all our research sources, including those we were unable to include in this article, but still think are worth looking into if you have the time and interest. We would highly encourage you to read more and engage with this subject. Therefore, it would be best for you to go out and form your own opinions and take it into your own hands. We find that in an age of fake-news and deep-fakes, access to reliable information and ability to inform oneself with facts is indispensable. No matter your age or your background, you can always learn more and develop, because the best investment you can make is the one you make in yourself.

Aware of the fact that educational systems differ from one region to another and from school to school, we approach the subject broadly, focusing on common practices, similarities and institutional factors. We will address factors that are fairly universal in terms of principles, problems and application. We also do not wish to ignore change and progress that has taken place and the various innovative approaches taken to better education. However, we believe this is not enough. For the most part formal education is failing to prepare students for life and is failing to create a new generation of passionate, creative and effective members of society that will drive the economy, politics and society in positive and innovative ways forward - as opposed to maintaining a certain status-quo.

The story about the outdated systems

Once upon a time, education consisted mostly of smart people talking to students (Most Likely to Succeed, 2018). These discussions were common practice in Ancient Greece for example. Over time, education has evolved and was exercised in various forms and practiced by different agents. The evolution of education can also be understood better through the context of the various societal changes (religious, ideological, socio-political, or economical revolutions) throughout the eras (colonial, post-colonial and others). Since any attempt to summarise the evolution of education would not do it justice, we wish to point you to an extensive study of the history and evolution of education published by Encyclopædia Britannica - links to further resources are below.

the objective was to produce more organised, obedient, and efficient future citizens, workers and soldiers that could follow instructions...

After the changes in education during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, according to Sal Khan the “next biggest” change in education was during the industrial revolution (Most Likely to Succeed, 2018). Indeed, it has been often argued that education was modelled after and built for the purposes of the industrial period. Towards the end of the 18th and early 19th century, new and revolutionary ideas were systematically implemented in education in Prussia, especially after the initial defeat in the Napoleonic wars (Most Likely to Succeed, 2018). The particular structure of education allowed for a widespread applicability that was necessary for the demands in the economy, where the objective was to produce more organised, obedient, and efficient future citizens, workers and soldiers that could follow instructions and accordingly deliver effectively. Thus, the industrial model was characterised by a division of students by age, ability, and subject (among other characteristics). This system inspired Horace Mann, a politician with an interest in education reforms who travelled to Prussia and was very impressed by the new system and was said to export it to the USA (2015). Due to the increasing demand for workers with a fairly equal level of education, this eventually led to a standardised system that in many ways resembled factory culture, largely reflected by the system we still have today.

This has been criticised by a few. For example, an education technology journalist and blogger pointed to this account is an oversimplification of history recalled by educational reformists to “justify an ‘upgrade’” (Watters, 2015). While there is certainly some truth to this, this does not change the reality that there has been a serious lack of development over the centuries. The many structural similarities might have worked in a different era, but it is increasingly clear that this system is outdated and inadequate for future demands.

Watching paint dry

One should not take for granted the efforts in advancing and reforming education. However, are these efforts sufficient? Many prominent people in the field of education and technology, such as the CEO of EdX Anant Agarwal, pointed to the fact that the educational system has not changed in over a century (Raths, 2014). It is shocking how much of the educational system has remained the same, while so much in our societies has evolved, particularly since the turn of the century.

Watters argued that a reform as proposed by those at EdX or Khan Academy - to new software and hardware - would “do much of the same thing schools have done for generations now, just (supposedly) more efficiently” (Watters, 2015). Unfortunately, this view underestimates the speed of advancement and fails to imagine the multitude of applications of new technology and what it can teach us about learning. As argued in a Financial Times opinion article with regard to the application of artificial intelligence, this is not the future of education, “but merely a step along the way” (Luckin, 2020). The integration of technology in education is necessary in order to pull it out of the dark ages.

However, one must look beyond the mere installment of new hardware and software in classrooms.

The use of AI and other data-driven technology could have a major impact on our understanding of education and our approach. So rather than seeing technology as an interference to learning, we should take every opportunity to learn and develop our systems in a complementary way.

Besides the lack of visible change to the system, student results and (dis)satisfaction are another indicator of this systemic disappointment. According to statistics, the SAT scores have declined and despite larger enrollment, the number of 25 year-olds with a Bachelor’s degree remains the same since 1995 (Cass, 2018). Unfortunately, the US is not the only country facing difficulty in reviving education. In the UK, the data does not prove any more optimistic as exhibited in The Guardian opinion editorial criticising the empty promises of the new government and the failures of delivering much needed improvements all around (The Guardian, 2019).

These shortcomings are ever more evident in the recent study that suggests there has been a stagnation in the global statistics on education, with one out of five children remaining out of school (UNESCO, 2018). The disappointment in achieving the global goal of ensuring all children have access to education has failed all the many efforts and campaigns. While the countries most affected are in the Sub-Saharan region, there is no region exempt from these discouraging numbers. Families of lower-income have higher numbers of children out of school across all ages and girls are more likely to be out of school across the board (UNESCO, 2018). The proposed perks of standardisation might have made sense for a different time, however, with the stagnation of numbers and the lack of necessary reform, it is clear that the current system is universally disappointing in meeting the needs of children and youth around the world.

Even in countries where there is more universal access to education, the standards and levels of satisfaction are often dispiriting. For example, British school-children are among the least satisfied according to the most recent OECD report (Adams and Barr, 2019). There are many features that can contribute to student satisfaction, but they all point to the expectations and proposed priorities education should have. It is in our opinion the priorities of the current educational systems are far too often inadequate for today’s needs. In agreement, some have even proposed a rethinking of education that would include a “sophisticated vocational program and a subsidized internship” (Cass, 2018). This approach would mean students would finish secondary education with three years of experience, possible earnings, and credentials. This proposal is quite compelling, given the growing demands in the global market.

What is the objective of education?

In order to judge the shortcomings and flaws in education, it is useful to build a better understanding of the purpose of education. Unsurprisingly, there is quite the debate around this subject. The divide in opinion mainly stems in the disagreement over whether education should focus on teaching creativity and independent thinking vs academic skills and discipline (Silver, 2017). In other words, to either focus on personal growth, creative thinking, and individualism or to produce hard-working, skilled, and disciplined young people.

The opinion differs on who you ask and where. For example, according to the British government, the purpose of education is the following:

Education is the engine of our economy, it is the foundation of our culture, and it’s an essential preparation for adult life. Delivering on our commitment to social justice requires us to place these 3 objectives at the heart of our education system. We all have a responsibility to educate the next generation of informed citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said, and instilling in them a love of knowledge and culture for their own sake. But education is also about the practical business of ensuring that young people receive the preparation they need to secure a good job and a fulfilling career, and have the resilience and moral character to overcome challenges and succeed.

- British Government 2015

This suggests that the British government appears to equally prioritise industry skills and interpersonal and personal development skills. We believe that education should be designed to and be able to deliver on both objectives. Unfortunately, as it currently stands, it does not seem to deliver on either. As mentioned earlier, there is strong criticism of the education standards in the UK failing the needs and expectations of the students.

South Korea is known for its rigorous educational system with a large focus on skill. Unsurprisingly, it can repeatedly be found among the top ten of world rankings in student performance in science and math scores internationally (Parker, 2015). For example, in 2010 South Korea spent over seven percent of its GDP on education, “trailing only Denmark and Iceland” among OECD members on education expenditure and it has the highest percentage of millenials with a college or vocational degree (Parker, 2015). However, despite this success, “few South Korean Millennials see education and hard work as the way to get ahead in life” (Parker, 2015). In fact, in 2014 it was the only country where people surveyed believe South Korean children and youth are less likely to be better off financially than their parents (Parker, 2015). This comes to show that even in the countries where education levels are ranked high on the global scales, the satisfaction remains low.

On the other side of the world, most students in the US had a positive perception of their university degrees, claiming it was valuable. This was in contrast to the opinions of the surveyed adults that claim college and university did not prepare students for a well-paying job in today’s economy (Parker, 2019). This is problematic as it suggests the ‘value’ of education is not perceived equally by the students and their employers. This is further reflected by the dominant number of surveyed US Millennials in agreement with the lack of pay-off in hard work and having a good education. This sentiment is less dominant among European Millennials, however, the majority of European Millennials believe that “success in life in pretty much determined by forces out of their control” (Stokes, 2015). These opinions are worrisome for a new generation of young people that are already making up most of the work-force today. In fact, as of 2020 all Millennials will have entered the work-force with the oldest being 39 and the youngest being 24.

Low satisfaction is very disconcerting because it points to the failures of the educational system. Failing to educate, promote independent thinking, foster creativity, and to equip the youth with lifelong important skills, it has also failed to create a confident and inspired generation. This can be observed in China, where the reliance of standardised testing, resulted in the perspective that preparation for such exams comes at the expense of creative learning. Data from China stands out in numbers of those who would like to see academic skills and creative learning be equally emphasised in education (Silver, 2017). In an editorial, The Guardian addressed the lack of cultivating creativity in education, as suggested by a collaborative report from Durham University, creativity should inhabit the school curriculums beyond simply the arts but “infusing the way human and natural sciences are learned” (The Guardian, 2019). The socio-economical benefit of becoming a skilled, knowledgeable, productive, moral, and responsible member of your community and a citizen of the world is just as important as the ability to think independently and harbour creativity in a journey to fulfillment.

Designing a better future

From the Millenium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals, the 21st century is being marked by growth and development in various areas. Unfortunately, much of the growth we have witnessed thus far has not been proportional or fair. In terms of education we are coming closer to a time where there are more young people than older people to have gone through education and the gender gap in education is closing according to PEW Research (Masci, 2017). For example, in the US, the number of “young adults not working or in school is at a 30-year low” (Fry, 2019). While such statistics are encouraging and mark progress, we are far from the goals we have set for these decades.

Whether we are talking about Sustainable Development Goals (henceforth SDGs), in general, or the idea of designing a better future, in one way or another it comes back to education. It is for this reason we chose to tackle this topic because it concerns everyone and it is the bottleneck to any further development (personal or societal).

But what is sustainable development?

It is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs.

- World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, 1987

The legal and most comprehensive definition of sustainable development can be taken from the 1987 Brundtland report which defines it as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, 1987). If we applied this to education we can see that education is not designed to meet the needs of the future generations as it barely prepares us for the challenges of the present.

In 2000, the 187 members of the United Nations recognised the importance of achieving global primary education - it was even listed as the second of eight goals following the goal of eliminating extreme poverty (MDG Monitor, 2017). Unfortunately, the world was not able to achieve the Millenium Goals by 2015 and has assigned new goals for 2030, which are yet to be realised. The Millenium Goals were praised, but also criticised for their simplicity (Glennie, 2015). By contrast the SDGs were approached differently and made more ambitious and accountable targets. On the other hand, some have argued that the SDGs are worthless because the manifesto has too many targets and too little content for each (Easterly, 2015). While Easterly makes some sound arguments about the limitations and weaknesses of the goals, he underestimated the difficulties of negotiating a universally accepted manifesto that both applies to all the 193 participating countries and is specific enough to present accountable and actionable measures. Therefore, while extremely ambitious the 2030 goals are a good way forward. We are of the opinion that growth only occurs outside the realm of comfort-zones and setting high goals is a good approach, if change is a genuine interest.

If we take a closer look, we can observe the relevance of these goals in our daily lives and our individual development. The fourth of the seventeen SDGs has a total of ten targets, which aim to make education equally accessible and attainable to all boys, girls and adults. It is essential that we reach a point where everyone, especially those vulnerable and affected by war have access to education. The goal goes even further, as target 4.7 concerns even the most developed countries as it makes it a goal that education should cover the knowledge and skills

needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.

- Education: Sustainable Development Goals, 2020

This points to the main difference between the SDGs and its predecessor. They do not just concern the ‘developing countries’, rather they concern everyone - it is everyone’s agenda (Glennie, 2015). In this sense, it concerns us all. It is our responsibility to hold our governments accountable to their commitments, because the outcomes affect the present and future generations.

The needs of the present and future generations

Education should prepare the youth by providing us with the necessary skills and knowledge for future success, but it should also develop our creativity, independent thinking and ability to pursue our passions in order to live a fulfilling life. To incorporate all this into a cohesive curriculum is no simple task.

Curricula were designed and redesigned in attempts to balance between specific skills and fostering creativity and independent thinking. While incorporating all that seemed necessary at the time. It resulted in an increasing amount of material being introduced in schools. Often the materials are largely determined by the government (due to the political role of education) and the methods of application would often vary according to the teachers entrusted to execute the transfer of knowledge. Thus, the inconsistencies can be felt across the board, especially as it becomes increasingly difficult to prepare the future generation for an ever faster evolving economy. This is particularly challenging and is only accented now in 2020. The uncertainty that lies ahead can be particularly daunting, especially the consequent economic instability resulting from the COVID-19 global outbreak that has put a strain on the most stable of economies - let alone the rest of the world. While it is hard enough to prepare students for today’s fast-paced economy, it is even more difficult to design curricula that will prepare people for an economy that we cannot predict.

The persistent reliance on standardised testing in education and in places of employment, despite its weaknesses and failures, is in our opinion part of the problem. Standardisation is consistently proving to fail to educate and provide the necessary tools and skills needed by the present and coming generations.

For example, the mere overreliance on rote-memorisation is an entirely ineffective method of learning with little transferability. Not only does it go against our natural strengths, it also fosters inherently problematic assumptions and fallacies about learning that we carry forward in life - very often proving to be a debilitating factor in further learning. They can lead to a fixed mindset where learners believe their talent is ‘inherited’ rather than learned. Instead education should facilitate a growth-mindset, which is defined by Carol Dweck as the belief that intelligence can be trained and that most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.

We believe education should foster natural curiosities and the creativity of young people and build a healthy mind-set that they can carry forward in their lifelong pursuits. This is not only invaluable for young learners, but also applies to adults. Modifying one’s mindset and learning more effective ways to acquire new skills is proving more than essential today. With teams working remotely due to social distancing measures and industries adapting to new times by introducing new technologies, everyone is required to learn and develop - so not to be left behind. Therefore, developing transferable skills, such as enhanced memory techniques that build on our natural predispositions, will be invaluable for any discipline and would be an indispensable tool in any fast-evolving economy. It is soft skills like confidence, critical thinking, perseverance, learning from criticism, time-management, and grit (among some others) that are indispensable in a system that should be designed to prepare people for the uncertain future.

The reliance on standardised testing is also a problematic trend when designing for future needs. As can be observed, the current methods of standardisation have not proved particularly fruitful. For example, the “one-fit-for-all” approach to scheduling in schools does not inspire the best development in young people (Viviani, 2014). While some individuals can succeed under these conditions, there are many that do not which leaves behind a significant proportion of the future economy. Other approaches, such as separating students by ability (rather than age) have been attempted, however, such separations have shown to cause more harm - as they fuel a cycle of lowered expectations causing greater drop-outs and lower levels of achievement according to an OECD study (Shepherd, 2012). So while dividing students in age groups is arbitrary in many ways, dividing by ability can have worse effects on childrens’ development. This comes to show that tackling education reform is no easy matter and comes with its many controversies and difficulties.

In 2014, Daisy Christodoulou published a very controversial book, Seven Myths About Education, which addresses seven widely-held beliefs through case studies proving the contradictions between practice and scientific principles. The seven myths she tackles are: (1) facts prevent understanding; (2) teacher-led instruction is passive; (3) the 21st century fundamentally changes everything; (4) you can always just look it up; (5) we should teach transferable skills; (6) project and activities are the best way to learn; and (7) teaching knowledge is indoctrination (Christodoulou, 2014). Christodoulou seems to place importance on learning knowledge over skill, however, her point is mostly that skills cannot be learned in a vacuum. She agrees that “the end of education is skilled, creative, critical individuals who can sift evidence...[but it’s] a question of how we get there” (Wilby, 2014). This is certainly true and a question that will perhaps never be simply answered, but the aim is not to find yet another single solution, but rather to evolve with time and use all the tools and data at our disposal to advance education.

We are still trying to grasp the many complexities behind the human mind and technology can help us here to build a better understanding. With the use of new technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analysis, we would be able to learn so much about the world and the human mind. With an improved understanding of the mind, new and old methods of learning can be better adjusted to suit the needs of our societies. With the use of educational technology and AI we can learn faster and in parallel evolve the educational system. As stated by Luckin, “the future is the use of AI to build the intelligence infrastructure to radically reform the way we value our own human intelligence” (Luckin, 2020). The uses of AI are relevant to education, much like any other field.

We cannot predict how technologies and economies will develop, but we can identify trends and work towards building a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. For example, automation and data are transforming the work-place (Van Rijmenan, 2019). Technologies and programmes are already changing many industries and replacing or changing the nature of the work (Manyika and Sneader, 2018). If a job can be replaced, it will be - and not so far in the future. An interesting report has been published by Accenture on the future of work and the increasing demand for the collaboration between people and machines (Shook and Knickrehm, 2018). Some, such as McKinsey & Company, suggest that there will be enough work to go around despite the changes to come, however, there will be transitions and dislocations (Manyika and Sneader, 2018). Although this sounds daunting, many companies are finding ways to retrain their staff. Take Accenture as an example, in the past four years they retrained around 300’000 of their staff for software roles by retaining people (Weber, 2019).

This proves that it is possible for the workers and markets to adapt to an ever changing and evolving economy, but it requires adaptable workers and employers willing to acquire new skills, take on these new roles and occupations, and for companies to invest in the reskilling and education of the staff.

Per instance, consider the implication that self-driving vehicles will have on the transportation workplace. Not far into the future, this profession could be replaced by new technologies which will be able to put in 24/24 hours of work at peak performance. According to Goldman Sachs, in the US up to 300’000 jobs could be lost due to autonomous vehicles (Balakrishnan, 2017), although some have argued that might not be the case (Lee, 2016). While Lee is less optimistic about the speed of development, his arguments are also overly reliant on the impact robots will have on the economy. In terms of advancements, we are more likely to witness programmes replacing partial work of many professions. Thus, not necessarily replacing a workforce, but rather resulting in many workplaces changing. This will require a workforce with technological literacy in order to use these programmes to become more efficient by saving time and money. Humans are still on the large scale able to perform tasks robots and programmes cannot, but we are moving in a direction where this might not hold true for very long. This can be observed in programmes outperforming humans (Manyika and Sneader, 2018), this could lead to increased efficiencies, better road-safety, or reducing costs or carbon emissions.

Whether training business consultants, lawyers or designers, data-driven technology will soon be part of most disciplines yet it is very absent from most curriculums. Unfortunately, AI and automation are trends that schools have not caught on to. Therefore, the pressure is put on the market. Companies are having to either retrain or let go of staff that is redundant due to the advancements in technology. Fortunately, many companies, such as Accenture, are proving the former is possible and reskilling is a worthy investment.

On a personal note, we found that investing in our continued education has positively impacted our career prospects and general well-being. Lifelong learning is a worthy investment of time, energy and (where possible) money.

Where does this leave us?

The predominant design of education today fails to foster creativity, far too often kills the natural curiosities and abilities of children, and repeatedly fails to equip people with the necessary tools and adaptability for an ever-evolving world. Our schools are proving insufficient for today, let alone the future. While there is some growth and development around the world with important innovation and projects, you can see for yourself that there is still plenty to be done. The evolution has, thus far, been slow and largely ineffective in securing a meaningful change. Statistics can be presented to encourage and indicate process, however, our world might need more drastic measures that are not represented by most of the available quantitative measures. It is also important to look at the quality of the education and the implications of it in terms of satisfaction, employability and relevance of content. According to our research, student and employer satisfaction is low - unfortunately low.

The COVID-19 pandemic is so blatantly proving that we are unprepared for many of the challenges we are to face, but it is also proving that we can find solutions to continue and evolve despite these trying circumstances. The amount of online content and the various discounts institutions have been offering to help keep people occupied while under lockdown has also proved that it is possible to work tothether to provide for the demands of today.

In order to further the development in education, we believe everyone can play a part in this. Starting with informing yourselves. In a time where fake news dominates the narrative, we hope to provide people with an alternative source of information. Therefore, our primary objective with this article is to empower our readers with the basic information, peak your interest, and guide you to discover more about topics that interest you - hence we are providing you with all our sources and recommended readings. We hope to inspire you to do your part in taking control of your future and the positive development of our societies.

Your voice matters, so make it count. We advise you to speak up on issues that interest you and engage in conversations - starting with your friends and family. Look at the effect Greta Thurnberg has had on the global scale for Climate Change awareness or young Malala on education. This comes to prove that one person can make a difference and when coming together we can start a movement that will bring about meaningful change.

So invest in your own education - if nothing else than with your time. We are living through trying, yet exciting times, so we must prepare ourselves with the skills and knowledge that will allow us to embrace the present without compromising our futures.

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