Education beyond marks: Olli-Pekka Heinonen on preparing students for a changing world

As expectations around school education change, families are increasingly looking beyond examination scores when considering what students need for the future. Academic knowledge remains important, but there is also growing attention to critical thinking, adaptability, communication, confidence and the ability to apply learning to unfamiliar situations.

During his visit to Hyderabad, Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and former Minister for Education and Science in Finland, spoke about how education systems can respond to these changing expectations. He also discussed cultural identity, inquiry-based learning and the role of technology in classrooms.

What are parents and students looking for from education today?

Parents today have access to much more information about education than previous generations. They are increasingly aware that the world students will enter after school is changing. This means education needs to provide strong foundational knowledge while also helping students develop the ability to use that knowledge. Students need opportunities to develop competencies, understand their interests and gradually identify what they may want to pursue. Education should therefore be about more than preparing for examinations. It should help students become capable of continuing to learn as circumstances change.

How can international education maintain a connection with local culture and identity?

International education should not mean leaving one’s cultural background behind. Understanding one’s own language, culture and values is an important part of understanding other cultures.

An international framework needs to work in different national and cultural contexts. In India, for example, education can include local perspectives and knowledge traditions alongside opportunities to engage with international ideas. Students should be able to understand their own context while also developing the ability to communicate and work with people from different backgrounds. These two aspects can complement each other rather than being treated as opposites.

How does inquiry-based learning differ from a traditional approach to education?

Inquiry encourages students to ask questions and examine ideas rather than simply receive information. Knowledge remains important, but students also need to understand how knowledge is developed and how different perspectives can influence our understanding of an issue. Students can be encouraged to examine assumptions, consider evidence and approach a question from more than one perspective. This can help develop habits of thinking that are useful beyond school. At the secondary level, research assignments and subjects such as the Theory of Knowledge can provide opportunities for students to reflect on how they know something, what counts as evidence and how different forms of knowledge are understood.

What role should artificial intelligence and other technologies play in education?

Technology should be treated as a tool rather than an end in itself. Artificial intelligence can provide useful opportunities for students, but they also need to understand its limitations. Students should learn how these systems work at an appropriate level, recognise that algorithms can contain biases and understand that AI-generated information may be inaccurate. They need the ability to question and verify what a digital system produces. Teachers remain important in this process. Technology can support learning, but students need guidance in deciding when and how to use it. The goal should be to develop technological understanding alongside critical thinking rather than allowing technology to replace independent thought.

What should education ultimately prepare students for?

Education needs to prepare students for a future that cannot always be predicted. Students may enter medicine, technology, finance, public policy, the arts or professions that do not yet exist in their current form. This makes adaptability important. Students need knowledge, but they also need the ability to learn, reconsider their assumptions, work with others and respond to change.

The purpose of education should therefore extend beyond immediate academic outcomes. It should help young people develop the confidence and understanding to participate meaningfully in society while continuing to learn throughout their lives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Arti Adke

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Arti Adke, hailing from a respectable family with strong principles, pursued her passion for journalism. She is a Senior Sub-Editor and Senior Reporter, leading the Education and Food pages. Arti's journey in our organization continues to thrive as she strives for journalistic excellence.

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