Education might be humankind’s greatest invention. It’s the tool we use to give people a chance to show what they can do, to surprise everyone, to create the future. And yet, in many ways, our education systems are relics of the past. Devised to provide workers for an economy that no longer exists. Valuing discipline over dynamism. And often, tainted by a colonial worldview that leaves many people’s histories untold.
As 5 pulled together this collection of stories on education, we spoke to educators, neuroscientists, campaigners, career advisers and, of course, schoolkids, who are working to reinvent education.
The discussions we had were about more than just how to make education better, they get to the heart of what education is for. It’s for creativity, not conformity. It’s for everyone, not the few. It’s for the future, not the past.
That’s why teenagers are using their free time to campaign to decolonise education and include their histories. It’s why universities are overhauling their courses to provide lifelong learning and prepare people for a fast-changing jobs market. And it’s why, in an age of automation and AI, people of all ages are taking their futures into their own hands by updating their knowledge and skills – including learning how to be better learners.
Follow the links below to explore these issues and discover how we can make education fit for the future.
