Traditionally, schools taught the 3R’s: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Most people would add some non-academic subjects concerning moral education and citizenship. However, modern society is becoming increasingly complex and there are considered to be many more topics that it is desirable for schools to teach.

A major suggestion is critical thinking; that is, how to think rather than simply memorising and consuming content knowledge. Some may argue that schools already teach critical thinking, but such teaching is more implied and ‘caught’ rather than explicitly addressed. Philosophy has a role to play. There is a movement called ‘Philosophy for Children’.

There is also an increasingly premium in society on communication skills and, relatedly, emotional intelligence.

A common refrain today too is that young people do not have resilience and coping skills; hence, we often hear about a mental health crisis among young people. This could be tied in with physical education, which already exists in schools. The idea would be that PE is not just about building a strong and healthy body but about developing certain psychological traits to help us cope with the vicissitudes of life.

A further move away from a strict academic education is the desirability of teaching students financial literacy. In addition, perhaps boys could be taught cooking skills and girls could be taught DIY skills.

If AI replaces most human jobs, then education might be about teaching us how to find new purposes in our lives in the face of mass unemployment. Perhaps this would push education in the direction of the creative fields.

All in all, the desire is for a holistic education rather than a narrowly-focused approach on excelling in academic examinations.