Resilient Sustainable Education for the Future of Education: Emerging Challenges

Introduction

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected all economic sectors and disrupted many areas of our lives, especially education. More than 1.7 billion learners in almost 200 countries around the world have been affected by school and university closures, and this number will continue to increase in 2021 and beyond. The pandemic has affected not only the education of over 90% of students worldwide but also 63 million primary and secondary school teachers.

Higher education is therefore now facing unprecedented changes and challenges. Around the globe, there are concerns about the current disruption, the new normal, next normal, and the best post-COVID-19 normal in education (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020; Ossiannilsson, 2020a; Ossiannilsson & Sandström, 2020). Large organizations, such as the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) (2020, 2021), the European Commission (2020), the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) (2020), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2020), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2020a, 2020b, 2020c, 2020d, 2020e, 2020f, 2020g), and the World Economic Forum (WEF) (WEF, 2020, 2021) are united regarding the crucial need for major paradigm shifts, especially in education, digitalization, and infrastructure.

It is critical to recognize that education is not universally free for society or individuals. However, education is an investment in rebuilding society and capacity building. The digital revolution now affects most areas of society, such as banking, healthcare, and citizen information within central and local governments. There have also been major changes in the film and music industries in recent years. Unfortunately, the education sector has lagged although there were visible changes in 2020 because of the pandemic. Despite the closures and lockdowns, an opening up of education and a culture of sharing began to emerge, as well as changes in mindsets, attitudes, values, and culture. However, an important lesson learned during the pandemic has concerned the difference between emergency remote education and an educational ecosystem based on a culture of creativity and innovation, which is resilient and sustainable (Bates, 2020; Ossiannilsson et al., 2020). Also crucial are the broad questions of what education is about and how to prepare individuals to solve future problems that we are not yet aware of, using methods and processes that we do not yet know about, which COL (COL Connections, 2020, p. 14) expressed as “preparing children for their future, not our past”. They also frame it as ”is the educational profession as we know it headed for obsolescence?” Not only is there room for improvement in the technical area, but it is also crucial to recognize the social dimensions of learning and education. Improvements in technology and digitization must not come at the cost of replacing human interaction and contact between teachers and students because human interaction is crucial in learning. Therefore, it is important to embrace and implement digital transformation, which includes people, processes, and products.

At present, experience from the pandemic continues across the globe. However, when the pandemic ends, other crises will ensue. To be better prepared for future disruptions, such as pandemics or natural and economic disasters, it is necessary to understand the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic at different levels and in different contexts (Ossiannilsson, 2020a). The COVID-19 pandemic has led to fundamental disruptions and changes in society and in our lives. It is necessary to recognize this shift and to engage in reflective learning about what it will mean to be human in a post-pandemic society. It is crucial to address the socio-ethical and moral dimensions of learning and education, which are high on the agenda of social justice and human rights. Only then can resilient, sustainable education be achieved in line with UNESCO’s Sustainability Goals (SDG) and UNESCO’s initiative regarding the futures of education. There is, of course, a focus on SDG4 in education, which aims to ensure accessible, inclusive, and equitable quality education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. In addition, other SDGs are crucial, as education is linked to human rights and social justice (UNESCO, 2016).