Why to transform the Education System?
The Youth are the largest portion of the population in the world ever in human history. Over 1.8 billion Young people live in the world which most of them live in conflict and fragile countries, and they care about the future of this planet. Nearly 300 million of them live in Africa.
The World Bank estimated that 600 million young people are in NEETs, not in training, education and employment which makes young people account for 40% of the world’s unemployed. The critical question is why these young people are left behind in labour markets. According to Manpower talent shortage report 2017, suggests that 40% of global employers are having difficulty filling some positions. This is true not only the developing world but also advanced economies. Global Talent crisis has a huge impact on economies to grow and societies to prosper. However, this problem caught the global attention to spark conversions on future education and future of work. There is a huge misalignment between employer and applicant expectations. Companies are struggling to find the right people to fill certain vacancies. Therefore, the “skills gap” is the bottleneck for the young to be employed. Job markets are shaped by technological disruption, demographic dividend, shifting business models and the evolving nature of work.
International Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12th august to reflect, observe and encourage the role of youth in building a better world. The theme of this year is “Transforming education” which rooted in goal 4 of 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Ensuring Quality education is a development multiplier which is critical for achieving sustainable development in the world. The UN call for the transformation of the education system is to make it more inclusive, equitable and relevant for the 21st-century realities which will narrow the gap global talents crisis.
Addressing education systems needs to embrace the multi-stakeholder approach which brings together the private sector, the governments, the civil societies, the academia and others to create relevant education system fits in the fourth industrial revolution and creates effective learning outcomes.
We cannot end poverty, hunger, inequalities, tackle climate change and sustain peace without a modern education system. The need for transforming education is urgent, and we should act on it now! Let us lobby and advocate for effective education system driven by innovation, critical thinking, problem-solving, to build more livable, equal and humanistic World for everyone.