Reflections on curriculum and learning imperatives in a changing world

It has become commonplace to acknowledge that what lies ahead in the twenty-first century remains largely uncertain and unpredictable.Conversations about the future often oscillate between overly optimistic outlooks and pessimistic views, yet they all converge on the idea that change is the only constant in a shifting world.We can no longer approach the future with a sense of seasoned certainty; as we gaze towards the horizon, it's clear that we must reimagine education to adapt to an ever-evolving landscape.The UNESCO Futures of Education initiative has led this charge, sparking a global conversation on the key role of education in navigating the complexities, uncertainties, and fragilities of our time.The Futures of Education Report (UNESCO, 2021) stands as a bold vision, advocating for a "new social contract for education" and highlighting the longoverlooked question of education's purpose and the significance of continuous learning in adapting to the rapid changes of the twenty-first century.The subsequent Transforming Education Summit (UN, 2022) made the shape of the future unmistakably clear: education needs to be transformed to respond to a rapidly changing world.The Summit also prompted a re-evaluation of learning and its intricate connections to students, teachers, knowledge, and the world at large.It underscored the imperative for learning to drive curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and the overall school environment, rather than being treated as a superficial addition.This heightened focus on learning for an uncertain future is justified, among other factors, by shifts in labor markets, technological revolutions, mobility, migration, climate change, conflicts and wars, equity imperatives, and the global learning crisis.The Covid-19 pandemic further emphasized the urgency of this focus.School closures resulted in documented declines in student learning, with ongoing learning gaps and a lack of significant catch-up progress several years later.Urgent action is needed to accelerate learning recovery through tailored policy initiatives (Donnelly