Youth Panel, Global Leaders Call for Comprehensive Education Overhaul

Global education systems are undergoing calls for significant reforms to better align with modern societal needs and future challenges. In the UK, a youth-led Shadow Curriculum and Assessment Review advocates ending primary school SATs and reducing GCSEs, emphasizing life skills, mental health, citizenship, inclusivity, and climate education to empower students beyond traditional grading systems. Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stresses a comprehensive transformation of the education system, focusing on infrastructure, human resource development, and stakeholder engagement to ensure reform success. In the Philippines, concerns arise over policy changes like making mother tongue-based education optional and removing key humanities subjects, prompting public petitions and calls for a deeper vision that preserves cultural and linguistic diversity. India’s Chhattisgarh state has effectively addressed teacher shortages through school rationalization, aiming for equitable education access in rural and tribal areas. Meanwhile, Bangladesh faces criticism for an outdated, rote-based curriculum lacking technological integration, risking its competitiveness in the global tech-driven economy, with experts urging the incorporation of coding, AI, and robotics into education to prepare students for future job markets.