Africa represents over 40% of the world’s population with a median age of 19; Africans are many and they are young. With the speed at which technology is changing, if our educational systems don’t change, we are preparing them for a reality that will not exist anymore.
The future of work is taking center stage of conversation especially in light of the 4th Industrial Revolution technologies that are radically changing the workplace of today and most importantly, tomorrow.
Take the example, the advancements of AI and Robotics, any manual/repetitive job will be replaced by automation within the next decade. If the current workforce is not re-skilled they will be out of work very soon. If the young people are placed in an education system which was designed for the previous industrial ages, they will be rendered irrelevant the minute they step out of school. Industrialization drove demand for skilled workers on a production line following instructions and so to serve this demand we needed an educational system that taught young people how to follow and remember instructions (hence exams). The reality today is that automation has replaced people in production lines by up to 90% and so now the demand is for better ways to creatively solve problems using the many tools we have at our disposal.
Addressing the Future of Work dilemma must start by re-engineering the education system of today. We can’t keep patching and tweaking a system whose foundation was built on century-old realty. New thinking is needed if we are to prepare this MASSIVE young population for the future if they are to be relevant.
