The fact is that the future has always surprised men. If we talk about the education sector, schools before 2020, teachers were using digital technology in a traditional face-to-face learning environment, and students were engaged in games and fun with each other during break times, however, as soon as 2020 came, all these things became part of the past and the Corona epidemic took the world by storm.

In such a situation, what should be our vision for the education system of the world and how can we prepare it for the future? Experts say that we need to be prepared not only for the changes that may come but also for the changes that no one expects yet.

Possible Future Scenario for Schools

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has drawn up various possible scenarios for the future of schools and proposed alternatives accordingly.

Schooling continues in its current form. The formal education system not only continues but also continues to grow. International collaboration and technological innovation pave new avenues for individualized learning. The characteristics and procedures of the formal and informal education systems remain intact.

Outsourcing of Education

Society is directly involved in educating its children and the formal schooling system is crumbling. With the help of digital technology, education is delivered in a diverse, private and flexible manner. It can also bridge the gap of uneven development and students can learn from the best by eradicating the digital divide. Education will be more accessible and available to all people. A globalized education system may come into practice and learning patterns may change with time.

The School as a Training Center

Schools may lose their traditional attire and become different from how they look today. Vocational and skills-demanding education is taking a hit at this time. Hence, schools have to adopt the latest teaching skills to foster sustainable methods of teaching. We will see the rise of communities in the near future, and they will discuss school issues with each other. Another important part is that schools, in spite of adopting new ways, will also greatly stress civic education, ethics and the humanities.

Access to Education

Education is possible anytime and anywhere. The distinction between formal and informal education systems is disappearing as society moves towards the use of machine power. In a global world and due to the ease of technology use, pupils from the most backward and neglected areas of Africa and Asia can also adopt this change in some time. Education will be accessible to everyone at any time.

Creating New Thinking

The fundamental question is: To what extent is the current system of schooling helping or hindering our vision for the future of education? Would restructuring the current education system help in this regard, which means changing the windows and doors instead of working on structural changes to achieve the goals? Is an entirely new way of thinking needed to manage people, space, time and technology in the education system?

Continuing and innovating the current education system would mean that we want to maintain the same standards in the education system. The presence of digital technology is constantly increasing and it is only used in the current education system, which aims to deliver the traditional curriculum. It is not being used to revolutionize the education system. All scenarios will have implications for the governance of education and the provision of training for the future workforce. Schooling systems in many countries are moving towards new partnerships, central to local governance and increasingly internationalization.

We can imagine countless possible scenarios for the future of education. In fact, the future of education may be a combination of many of these features and may have different characteristics in different countries around the world. Nevertheless, by discussing possible scenarios, we can certainly reach some conclusions that we can learn from to prepare ourselves for the present and the future.

Planning for the future of education requires vision, imagination and passion. We must not, because we like such a future, wish for it and prepare for it alone. In a world where climate change is expected along with social unrest and political polarization, we cannot afford to be unprepared for unexpected scenarios.

It is not the echo of despair but the timely sound of time for something to happen. We are well aware of the importance of learning and progressing throughout our lives. We need to see education as one of the most important sources of public welfare, regardless of how it can be achieved in the future.