Offer lifelong education and learning

Given the speed at which society is changing, we must constantly adapt the way we teach and learn. We need to keep updating our pedagogy (particularly in the digital field), help learners develop cross-cutting skills, offer a variety of training experiences to ensure our graduates find work, and provide better access to knowledge and expertise to generate greater societal well-being. While schools are the ultimate socialization environment, they also offer important opportunities for students to learn about important issues such as social inequality, diversity in all its forms, inclusion, and how to be an informed and responsible citizen.

Education is the bedrock of any innovative and sustainable society. Motivation, perseverance, and academic success are the foundation of a society’s development. Education is a powerful catalyst for change, improving health and livelihoods, encouraging social stability, and stimulating long-term economic growth. It is also key to achieving the sustainable development goals. To ensure communities can regain control over their development, we must decolonize our knowledge, thoughts, and practices to enable true and respectful cooperation.

The digital transformation is generating rapid change, presenting individuals and organizations with many challenges in terms of education, adaptation, knowledge, skills, and security. Continuous change is the new normal as organizations must fine-tune and adapt their business models, operations, and information and communication practices. They must also rethink processes as operational barriers fall away and automation makes gains. The digital economy driven by artificial intelligence will provide more and more services that require human–machine interaction. This offers enormous potential and will generate new types of jobs, but will also require innovative models in areas where the nature of work itself is changing, such as health care, law, or insurance. To respond to these shifts, continuing education based on research will play a pivotal role in ensuring that everyone can reach their full potential in an evolving job market.