In 2015, a historic moment took place in human history. 193 countries came together and signed an ambitious agenda -the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-for humanity; not for a specific set of countries but for all of humanity. Among the 17 SDG’s, SDG 4 was centered on education. The goal, “Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning”, cannot be disputed by any as a necessary condition for individuals wishing to improve their wellbeing and that of their future generations. And this in turn suggests that SDG 4 is essential if we are to achieve all of the other SDGs[1]. In fact, SDG 4.7 demands that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development; a.k.a the other SDGs.

On closer scrutiny, there seems to be an implicit assumption that we as the global community have taken for granted. That assumption is that the type of education we have now is the right system and what we have to do is to improve its quality, make it inclusive to all type of learners and last but not least make it equitable to all individuals irrespective of economic, social and demographic differences.

Except for a few discerning voices such as that of Sir Ken Robinson and Sugata Mitra among others, the majority within the education community seem to embrace the assumption underlying SDG4. This belief and conviction runs predominantly across the policy community addressing education.

The question we must ask ourselves here before making conclusions whether the present education system works or not is to first ask the quintessential question of what are our objectives or expectations of the education system. It would be otherwise unfair to judge its performance if the yardsticks have not been established and agreed by all. This is where we should direct our attention as we move into the 21^st century.

We know for sure that the challenges we face over the next 100 years will be very different from those we faced in the past. Our present education system, which finds its origins about 300 years ago was established to meet the needs of the industrial revolution. The need for people to work in the factories to produce goods and services was the need of the day. However, as we moved from the industrial age to the services and now the knowledge age, the demands have changed. So, the question we must ask ourselves is if the system we have now can meet these new demands and challenges.

The answer is yes and no. Let me explain. I would say yes if our objectives are still rooted in producing individuals through education who are “economically productive” members of society. This worked in the past when a majority of society was living in destitute conditions and the objective was to increase economic prosperity with an understanding or assumption that this will lead to improved wellbeing. It has for half of humanity but the other half have yet to witness the fruits of the progress.

But as countries prospered, globalisation grew exponentially and societies became more inter-connected, strains began appearing with global level problems emerging. Climate change, a rise in localised conflicts, migration and unprecedented loss of biodiversity are some of new challenges that exist but more importantly future generations will face. Moreover, the past understanding that education will automatically secure employment is being increasingly questioned as automation becomes a reality. Furthermore, the relentless drive for profits at the expense of employment has begun sowing the seeds of social discontent across social groups within and across countries.

The education system however is oblivious to these trends. It still works under the assumption that by providing access to all, it will solve the problems. The other half who have been left behind will catch up and enjoy the same fruits others have experienced. However, unemployment is increasingly becoming rampant even among young people with university degrees. On the other hand, employers are complaining that they are not able to find the individuals with the new skills required in the information age.

But the question we must ask ourselves is if reacting to the present situation by providing the training for new skills is the solution; or whether we need a fundamental rethink of our education system. Should it continue to strive for providing the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of our industrial system striving to stimulate consumption and production believing that this will lead eventually to human wellbeing. Or should it be targeted towards the flourishing of individuals.

The good news is that there have been recent attempts by the present education systems to introduce elements of human flourishing by introducing concepts of global citizenship and 21^st century skills and competencies. The World Economic Forum released a paper in 2017 making a strong case for these skills and this being further supported by some of the recent work by the OECD and partners on global competencies.

But is this sufficient? Are we not skirting again the fundamental question: what is the primary objective of our education systems? Drawing from the economic literature on externalities, I would argue here that the primary objective of these recent attempts is to still focus on producing individuals who will be efficient producing entities for an economic system with an understanding that 21^st century competencies and skills-seen here as externalities- will improve the human productivity. Can humanity really rely on an externality?

I would like to put forward a case here whereby our education system focuses on one and only one primary objective; that is to improve human flourishing. The production of an efficient economic agent comes as an externality of this education system. But this contribution comes with a view of seeing this economic system as a system subservient to humanity and not the other way around as presently.

It has to be at the end of the day a societal decision. But one thing is clear; the present education system definitely needs a rethink. The diabolical question we have to answer is if we are comfortable with having an education system that produces the perfect economic agent and hopefully we also are able to provide human flourishing or an education system that provides for the human flourishing that also produces an individual who contributes to the economic system for humanity!