Schools of the Future: Defining New Models of Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

The World Economic Forum published a report that provides a new framework for defining quality education in the new economic and social context and shares key features of 16 schools, systems, and programmes pioneering the future of education. The report pinpoints eight critical characteristics that define high-quality learning in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Education 4.0) which are global citizenship skills, innovation and creativity skills, technology skills, interpersonal skills, personalised and self-paced learning, accessible and inclusive learning, problem-based and collaborative learning, and lifelong and student-driven learning. The paper further provides an action agenda to support the transformation to Education 4.0 through a) collaboration between education ministries, educators, and private sector leaders to connect and scale efforts to create holistic education systems; and b) alignment between actors on defining and assessing the skills of the future, preparing the teaching workforce to lead this transition, and enhancing connectivity across schools and school systems.