Paddy Jansen, May 2015

What Future for Education?

Education will change more over the next 10 years than it has over the past 150 years

Our current education system originates from the needs of the industrial revolution

It is during the industrial revolution, that our current education system was shaped. In the mid 1800’s, governments in Europe started to get involved to structure and control the population as they increasingly moved to cities, causing overpopulation and chaos. In addition, there was a need to have a skilled labour force to work in factories and production plants, which would lead to new and superior products, and thus leading to economic prosperity for the nation state.

The system we have today, is still based on this concept; the more you educate your population, the more superior products and services you can deliver, leading to competitive advantage and economic prosperity.

Globalisation, Technology, Funding, and Purpose are driving the change in Education

Today, we stand at a moment in time where crucial developments are coming together, finally, to drive substantial - and necessary - change in education systems around the world. 

What is driving this accelerated change?

There are four elements converging that are acting as catalysts:

• Globalisation, • Technology, • Funding, and • Purpose.

How Globalisation is impacting the Future of Education

In 2015, five million students are studying outside their home countries, more than double the number in 2000 and triple the number in 1990. Today, there are two million students engaged in language travel, of whom roughly two-thirds study English.

A newer development is that education institutions are acting as multinational organisations, creating start-up versions of themselves in foreign countries. You will find an INSEAD campus in Singapore, a John Hopkins in Bologna, and Carnegie Mellon University in Rwanda.

A third element to globalisation are online degrees and certificates which are becoming increasingly accepted around the world. Online education gives everybody access to any form of credential from, for example, leading institutes in the United States or Europe.

How Technology is impacting the Future of Education

EdTech is aiming to disrupt all traditional forms of education. New companies have been added to our landscape: such as Coursera, and Khan Academy. They are making big waves, and while doing so they have changed our expectation for leaning.

Flipping the classroom is now considered the way to go: catch the instructional lecture online before you come to the classroom, which has now become a place of active learning instead of the traditional ‘chalk-and-talk’.

Online degrees, and certificates, are allowing for up-skilling and self-development. We have now ‘micro-credentials’, a stackable, and step-by-step option for online courses to ultimately lead to a degree.

Technology is driving a more individualised education, with more freedom to choose, and increased access.

How Funding is impacting the Future of Education

Education is becoming less dependant from government funding as private investment is increasing. Publicly listed and private companies are becoming more common. Multinational companies are being formed, for example in higher education, Laureate Education with one million students. As education groups are mushrooming, private investors are seizing the potential and opportunity for global education.

Education is also attracting large established companies such as Apple, Google and Lego who are investing heavily as they see that people and companies will pay for their educational services and products.

In any sector, at any moment in time, we know that when the capital starts flowing and investments are made, opportunity rises and development is accelerated.

How Purpose is impacting the Future of Education

Our education system is in crisis. Over the last decades we have seen a lowering of completion rates, increasing cost and a lack of preparation for employment. If 'Education is the Key', we should rebuild the system to meet needs of the individual and the world we live in.

We should develop a skill-set that can adapt to an ever and faster changing world. Each individual must be able to support him or herself while contributing to the wellbeing of their family.

As we move up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualisation becomes the next step. We should embrace each individual and encourage each to develop to their maximum potential.

Meanwhile, our planet and species are faced with huge challenges: environmental changes, human conflicts and inequality. To address these issues we must develop an awareness and willingness to tackle them.

So what is the Future of Education?Over the 10 next years we will see a massive transformation. Rich countries will be able to grasp the advantages from Globalisation, Technology, and Funding; and the Purpose of Education will evolve to meet the requirements of the world we live in today.

Yet, the question remains, can we educate everyone to a minimal acceptable degree and create a fair and

inclusive society?

Access to education is key to social inclusion and productivity, and connectivity is the key to access. Yet in our unequal world, the networked economy is able to incorporate all that it regards as valuable, but also exclude people and parts of the world that do not have access. Technological capability is essential. Countries need the communications infrastructure in order for people to participate, take advantage of and benefit from Education.

Inclusivity is Future for Education.