The fundamental shift in the global education system and the way future generations learn now will help unleash the post-pandemic future, according to Cameron Fox, founding head of VERSO International School.
VERSO aimed to transform traditional schooling 10 years ago with the key argument that conventional schools are outdated, Mr Fox said during the International Forum 2021 under the theme of "Unleashing the Future: a Glimpse into 2020 and Beyond" organised by the Bangkok Post.
He said three changes forced him to rethink the concept of schooling: work, university and the way students learn.
As technology has changed the global economy and the nature of work, schools need to build the future skills that the global economy needs, he said.
Future skills "give learners the capacity to work in a variety of settings and emerging industries", Mr Fox said.
That can range from the ability to analyse a situation from multiple perspectives to the ability to present data in more than one language, he said.
"The days of having a single career are over," Mr Fox said. "Most of our young people will have multiple careers in their lifetimes. So we need to prepare them to be much more flexible, adaptive and creative."
Universities also have seen changes, he said, adding more students are rejecting the standard four-year-degree routine. Instead, they aim to obtain micro-credentials that are more relevant, cost-effective, and valuable when looking for a job.
"Learning will become much more bespoke and personalised in response to the needs and preferences of the market," he said. "Students will increasingly look for quicker, more efficient ways to learn. This means remote and hybrid models of learning will become increasingly attractive."