e are living in an age shaped not by incremental change, but by compounding shocks. Three in particular are redefining our world: demographic aging, the climate emergency, and the acceleration of science and technology. These forces are not coming, they’re already here, and our education systems are overdue for a transformation.
Demographic shifts are challenging the traditional model of education as something front–loaded early in life. Japan’s investments in lifelong learning centers and mid–career retraining programs show how an aging society can remain innovative and productive. By contrast, countries that have ignored reskilling needs are already facing worker shortages and widening inequality, with older adults locked out of economic participation.
The climate crisis, meanwhile, is the defining challenge of our generation. In Morocco, schools are integrating water conservation and renewable energy projects into the curriculum, linking learning to local adaptation needs. Yet in other parts of the world, climate denial and underinvestment in environmental education have left young people unprepared for the economic and social upheavals extreme weather is bringing.
And then there’s technology. Estonia’s early integration of digital skills in schools has produced one of the world’s most digitally literate populations. On the other hand, poorly planned AI deployments in education, lacking transparency or equity, have deepened mistrust and excluded marginalized learners. We must prepare students not just to use tools, but to question them, design them, and govern them responsibly.
These challenges are not isolated. They intersect. They amplify each other. And they demand that we redefine the purpose of education, not just to produce workers or citizens, but to cultivate humans capable of navigating complexity, shaping change, and holding on to what matters most.
Technology can support this shift if guided by values and equity. But the real work lies in expanding what we consider “core knowledge,” and who gets to access it. Education must become more inclusive, adaptive, and attuned to the realities of a changing world.
In the face of global shocks, education is not a luxury or a legacy system, it’s our most strategic investment in the future.
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Education for a future we can’t predict
September 20, 2025
In the face of world–redefining global shocks, education is our most strategic investment in the future. Successful investment requires we redefine the purpose of education and what we consider core knowledge, writes Elyas Felfoul.
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e are living in an age shaped not by incremental change, but by compounding shocks. Three in particular are redefining our world: demographic aging, the climate emergency, and the acceleration of science and technology. These forces are not coming, they’re already here, and our education systems are overdue for a transformation.
Demographic shifts are challenging the traditional model of education as something front–loaded early in life. Japan’s investments in lifelong learning centers and mid–career retraining programs show how an aging society can remain innovative and productive. By contrast, countries that have ignored reskilling needs are already facing worker shortages and widening inequality, with older adults locked out of economic participation.
The climate crisis, meanwhile, is the defining challenge of our generation. In Morocco, schools are integrating water conservation and renewable energy projects into the curriculum, linking learning to local adaptation needs. Yet in other parts of the world, climate denial and underinvestment in environmental education have left young people unprepared for the economic and social upheavals extreme weather is bringing.
And then there’s technology. Estonia’s early integration of digital skills in schools has produced one of the world’s most digitally literate populations. On the other hand, poorly planned AI deployments in education, lacking transparency or equity, have deepened mistrust and excluded marginalized learners. We must prepare students not just to use tools, but to question them, design them, and govern them responsibly.
These challenges are not isolated. They intersect. They amplify each other. And they demand that we redefine the purpose of education, not just to produce workers or citizens, but to cultivate humans capable of navigating complexity, shaping change, and holding on to what matters most.
Technology can support this shift if guided by values and equity. But the real work lies in expanding what we consider “core knowledge,” and who gets to access it. Education must become more inclusive, adaptive, and attuned to the realities of a changing world.
In the face of global shocks, education is not a luxury or a legacy system, it’s our most strategic investment in the future.
