Public education between the constants of knowledge and the challenges of the future ✍️ Ali Al-Fateh Al-Zubair Al-Hashemi
Public education is the foundation of all human renaissance, because it is the mirror that reflects the consciousness of societies and the vessel in which human thought, values and skills are formulated from an early age.
With the acceleration of scientific and technical transformations in recent decades, it has become necessary to reconsider educational programs and teaching methods on a global scale, and to honestly ask: *Does current education meet the aspirations of future generations?*
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*Disparity of programs between nations: diversity or dispersion?*
Educational programs differ from country to country depending on the educational philosophy adopted by each country and the extent to which it relates to its culture, identity and national priorities.
While some education systems – like the Finnish system, for example – focus on creativity, personal inquiry and attention to the psychological and social aspects of the student, we find that other systems – like some Asian systems – focus on discipline, memorization and strict academic excellence.
But this divergence does not mean the absence of common points, because international programs essentially agree on the importance of providing the student with thinking skills, mastery of languages, mastery of mathematical operations and the development of human values. However, the degree of depth, the method of approach and the method of evaluation remain the decisive differences that make the difference between an education that produces an innovator and an education that produces an imitator.
*Mathematics and languages: the language of the mind and the language of the world*
Mathematics and languages are considered the cornerstone of any integrated education system.
Mathematics is not just about numbers and equations, but rather an education of the mind in logical thinking and systematic analysis, which gives a person the ability to deal with the unknown and develops the ability to solve and innovate.
As for languages, they are tools of communication and cultural understanding, thanks to which individuals learn to know others, to express themselves and to participate in the construction of common human knowledge.
However, the teaching methods of these two subjects – in many countries around the world – are still captive to memorization and memorization, far from realistic application. How many students succeed in solving math problems on paper but are unable to relate them to a real-life situation? How many graduates have studied the language for many years, but cannot carry out a simple dialogue with ease and confidence?
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*The effectiveness of educational materials in preparing people for life*
The success of an educational subject is not measured by exam results, but rather by its ability to prepare a person to face life, with critical thinking, a cooperative spirit and a capacity for adaptation and continuous learning.
In this context, modern educational experiences show that the integration of technology, project-based education and problem-based learning is the ideal way to transform knowledge into skills and information into awareness.
However, practical application is still limited in many systems, because education is considered a preliminary step to certification, not the construction of a human being capable of interacting with the variables of the era of artificial intelligence and the knowledge economy.
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*Faults: where is the fault?*
The most important gaps in public education can be summarized as follows:
1. Focusing on quantity not quality: filling curriculums with information at the expense of understanding and analysis.
2. Poor training of teachers to use modern teaching strategies.
3. The lack of link between school and professional life, which separates education from reality.
4. Traditional assessment that measures memorization rather than critical thinking and creativity.
5. Low investment in educational research capable of developing programs according to scientific and realistic standards.
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*Does current education meet future aspirations?*
The answer – unfortunately –
It’s always between “no” and “maybe”.
Today’s world is experiencing an unprecedented knowledge revolution, and education continues to evolve at a traditional pace that does not keep pace with the scale of the transformation.
Students are increasingly connected to the digital world and more aware, but schools – in many cases – continue to emulate the models of the last century.
With a glaring absence of the majority of parents and their traditional conceptions of defining success and its measures, in particular mothers who are deceived by the written grades obtained at the end of the school year, and their high percentages that we call success.
Perhaps the “blurring” that has been and continues to be practiced by governments of third world countries in ignoring information and voices calling for reflection on the status of crumbling traditional educational programs that do not correspond to the third millennium AD and the information revolution raises an urgent question: is there an intention for a compelling reason that we do not know? Or is there a fear of everything modern?
There is, however, a glimmer of hope. Education reform efforts are accelerating in some Arab countries and many international countries (Sudan is not among them), and initiatives are emerging to integrate critical thinking, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence into public education.
Growing awareness among educators and researchers confirms that change is possible if there is scientific planning, political will and real investment in people.
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*Towards an education worthy of the human being*
Researchers and specialists in the field of education have knocked on every door, looking for methods, means and visions that will allow us to move beyond the unsatisfactory results of education in its current form. The future will not only be granted to those who have money or technology, but rather to those who have an educated, critical and creative human being capable of lifelong learning.
Education is not just a social service, but rather a national and civilizational project, and once we realize this deeply, we will set foot on the first path towards real reform.
