My generation is facing a radically changing world. Due to shifts between industries and the changing nature of work within industries, demand for high-level skills will grow, and many low and medium skilled jobs will become obsolete. Jobs open to those without high-level skills will often be insecure and poorly paid. Only quality education for all children can generate the needed skills, prevent worsening inequality and provide a prosperous future for all.
With the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Quality Education became one of the most debated topics. Does today’s educational system deliver the necessary tools and resources for individuals to become competitive in the new economy? Is innovation in education producing enough learning for the market demand? How do we provide access to education in crisis zones? What are the skills needed for young people to correspond with rising world trends? These were the main topics addressed at the World Bank Group Youth Summit 2016: Rethinking Education for the New Millennium.
Thanks to my past engagement and advocacy in the field, I was given the chance to be part of the conference. The two day event, November 14 - 15, brought together more than 200 individuals from 92 countries with exceptional quality that have demonstrated their passion to rethink education for the new millennium and their potential to be future leaders in the subject.
Despite intimate knowledge of the successes and failures of modern education, my generation rarely becomes the architect or the framer of a system that is tested by us. The World Bank Group (WBG) Youth Summit 2016 sought to bridge that gap, giving us a fair chance in creating the vision for the future of education.
The summit opened with a plenary session on the World Development Report, that will be released in 2018, with the main focus on education. Shwetlena Sabarwal introduced the audience to the strategies and steps needed to be taken to improve education. Based on shared ideas, it all leads to the fact that developing good foundations, closing the gender gaps, and supporting local agents in crisis zones are the best guarantee for efficient skills transition to the “New Economy.”
But, what are the new skills? What type of development will the new economy require from my generation ? What are the drivers of educational change? These aspects were debated at the panel: Skills for the New Economy.
Global connectivity, smart machines, and new media are just some of the drivers reshaping how we think about work, what constitutes work, and the skills we will need to be productive contributors in the future. It was brought to our attention, based on a research conducted by The Institute for the Future, that to be successful in the next decade, we will need to demonstrate foresight in navigating a rapidly shifting landscape of organizational forms and skill requirements. We will increasingly be called upon to reassess the skills we need and quickly put together the right resources to further develop them. The most important 10 work skills in 2020 are shown below.
Through interactive workshop on Gender Equality in Education based on family case studies, we addressed a variety of obstacles and challenges that many girls in developing countries face, and proposed solutions on how to overcome them. I have to admit that those problems persist because of my generation of boys’ indifference not to participate in the dialogue.
There are some steps that can be taken to produce substantial change for girls’ education: become an advocate, be a role model, implement girl-friendly activities, mentor and support girls to finish school, and engage men and boys to dialogue positive norms that support girls’ success. These ideas were shared to us thanks to the partnership with Let Girls Learn and Peace Corps.
Now, that we have an overview on what to expect on upcoming years, the question that appears is: What will be the cost of education? Everyone knows that this is a problem, but it looks like everyone is doing just fine and agrees with it. I don’t! For my generation, the high cost of college degree makes it almost impossible to work our way through college, and that forces us to work and study.
Parminder K. Jassal presented some facts based on ACT Foundation research that are caused by the high cost of education. There she mentioned The Evolution of New Learning Economy - The Rise of The Working Learner. More young people are working full-time while in college (40% of undergraduates, 76% of graduate students). Working while attending college reduces from students’ efficiency which leads to taking student loans to pay for college. That’s the turning point when our fundamental human right is taken away!
The case for investing in education is indisputable. The value of education will only continue to increase because it is education that will determine whether the defining trends of this century – technological, economic, and demographic – will create opportunity or entrench inequality. It is critical for long-term economic growth and essential for the achievement of all of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
A dollar invested in an additional year of schooling, particularly for girls, generates earnings and health benefits of $10 in low-income countries and nearly $4 in lower middle-income countries. By 2030 over three-quarters of a billion young people in low - and middle - income countries will not be on track to acquire basic secondary - level skills. In low - income countries, only one out of 10 will be on track.
A Global Learning Crisis: The expected learning outcomes of the cohort of children and youth who are in school in 2030
In the educational system, we are seen as consumers, or better said - customers. Well, if that's the case, then how about the policy that the customer is always right? Many of us understood that we can't rely anymore on governmental reforms or aids, so we create our own. We use our experiences, challenges, and feedback from peers to come up with solutions. That's the case of three youth initiatives that won in the competition "Rethinking Education: Innovative ideas to transform education."
StanLab is developing a 3D virtual laboratory that will provide practical science education to Nigerian students who do not have access to traditional laboratories. NaTakallam represents a platform that connects displaced Syrians with Arabic learners through Arabic language sessions over Skype. ROYA Mentorship Program is a comprehensive educational program in Afghanistan that enables children of impoverished families – girls in particular – to learn English and acquire computer literacy.
Meeting the global educational challenges will without exception depend on how our governments will improve educational systems and how policymakers will adhere to our development needs. Our demand for better education services, affordable access to education, and accountability from the elected members calls for a paradigm shift of the way the stakeholders approach education.
The reforms should be the subject of wide-ranging consultation and discussion in the political arena, in educational institutions, and in business companies. The landscape has changed and the policymakers must respond to the demand by taking a leadership role and making education a national priority. But, is it in their interest, when we are just perfect units of profit?