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Education for human flourishing: A conceptual framework
In the future, education systems should nurture a broader range of capabilities, help restore meaning to young people's lives and equip them with the skills and ambition to remake our societies, economies and organisations. To flourish over a lifetime, people will need to be adaptive problem solvers, ethically competent and able to understand, appreciate and act in the world. In the age of AI, education must strengthen human agency, human meaning and human security. Since 2020, the OECD has developing far-reaching ideas on the future purposes of education, based on policy dialogues with seven high performing PISA systems. The Human Capital model, which has shaped what students learn for many decades, prepares young people for yesterday's jobs, through cognitive examinations. Education for Human Flourishing will equip young people for lives of purpose and fulfilment. The framework is helping shape the international conversation about the future of education. It is a vital ingredient in the development of PISA and a contribution to national policymaking, for countries wishing to reorient education purposes, policies and practices. It will be of interest to ministers, officials, students, teachers, school leaders, researchers and education innovators.
Last updated: 01/07/2025
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