Are classrooms frozen in time? The urgent need for educational reform

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This may seem like a trivial observation, but it highlights a significant issue with our outdated and stagnant education system. The way we teach children, the structure of our schools, and the outcomes of our educational efforts have remained largely unchanged for the past 100 years. This stagnation is hindering our economic mobility.

Our current education system still relies on an outdated curriculum and a matriculation exam that leaves students ill-prepared for the workforce. Meanwhile, in the past 12 years, 5G, voice recognition, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and social media have revolutionised how we communicate, manage our health, and consume content. These advancements have transformed what we produce, how we shop, and how we pay for goods and services.

The World Economic Forum's 2023 Future of Jobs report reveals that 86% of businesses believe adopting new and emerging technologies will have the most significant impact on the employment market. We are at a breaking point where change is imperative, the pace of technological advancement is accelerating, yet our education system remains rooted in an Industrial Revolution-era mindset.

Our schooling system fails to adequately prepare children for the workforce. We rely on outdated teaching methods, lack personalisation, face a significant skills gap, and maintain a rigid, innovation-resistant structure. With the second-highest youth unemployment rate in the world, our children are increasingly alienated and disengaged from a school system that does not reflect their current or future realities.

This is why it is crucial to involve students as key stakeholders in decisions about our schools and teaching methods. This generation is the most tech-savvy, digitally informed group we've ever had, and we can no longer afford for our education system to ignores that.

Technology offers a way to address these issues—not by simply providing every child with a laptop or tablet, but by recognising that technology is essential to disrupting the education system. At Centennial Schools, our students graduate with skillsets that university students often lack.

While we teach the CAPS curriculum and write the IEB Matric Exams, we have also integrated tech-forward subjects each year. Our students learn coding, gaming, content creation, filmmaking, entrepreneurship, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies. These subjects are not merely "nice to have"; they are vital in preparing our students for the future of work. In addition to technological proficiency, these subjects foster creativity and problem-solving—skills that should be cultivated during adolescence, as they are highly valued by employers.

The WEF Future of Work report states that employers seek creative thinking, analytical skills, technological literacy, resilience, and agility from their workers. By teaching our students to understand and use technology, we equip them with the skills and tools necessary for the jobs of the future.

Technology has also enhanced how we operate as a school. AI is a game-changer, especially in creating personalised, affordable learning paths. While technology cannot replace the interaction with a good teacher, AI effectively reduces the student-to-teacher ratio to a one-to-one relationship. By embracing AI, our teachers can engage more meaningfully with students, freed from the "drudge work" of setting papers, grading assignments, and handling administrative tasks.

By investing in tangible, relevant subjects, we are preparing our students for life. An organisation that adapts quickly to new environments will be the one that survives and thrives. This is precisely what our education system needs to ensure that our children can thrive and survive in the second quarter of the 21st century.