Bold Strokes: Shaping the Future of Education with Community and Creativity

Who among us hasn’t had to hit Ctrl + Alt + Del to re-set a frozen screen just when we’re in the middle of important work? In this time of rapid technological advance, TAISI’s metaphorical adaptation of this keyboard shortcut to CTRL + ALT + LEARN is genius. It centres the education discussion on taking intentional control over the curriculum rather than passive adherence; on exploring alternative, innovative teaching and learning pathways so that the curriculum becomes a flexible "canvas;" and by replacing Del with LEARN, emphasises growth and future-oriented learning rather than a harsh reset. For me, this metaphor chimes perfectly with our own, current reflections in International Education at Cambridge.

In addition to technological progress, climate change, the aftereffects of the pandemic, teacher shortages and shifting global dynamics are just some of the factors reshaping how we all live and work. As the world’s largest provider of school age international education, we also believe this is an apt time to reflect on what young people truly need from education to be prepared for the future.

Listening to Our Community

This year, we conducted one of the broadest education surveys in the international schools community to-date, capturing the thoughts of over 3,000 teachers and nearly 4,000 students across 150 countries to understand what they see as being vital to ensure students are ready for the future. Their voices form the backbone of our new report, Navigating the Future: Preparing Learners to Thrive in a Changing World which reveals four urgent priorities:

1. Students are more prepared for the future than they often realise – explicitly signposting the skills they develop through their learning will help them realise this more fully

2. Subject knowledge matters more than ever in the age of advanced technology – not less. It provides the foundation for creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

3. Self-management skills are vital – the ability to form good habits and take responsibility for learning can enable students to navigate the uncertainty and complexity they may face in their futures

4. Communication and interpersonal skills need urgent attention – especially the ability to handle difficult, meaningful conversations.

And our research has implications beyond the classroom, affecting workforce readiness, young people’s general wellbeing, and even societal resilience more broadly. In other words, if young people leave school feeling underprepared, the consequences ripple into the workplace, the economy and society at large.

These insights are already shaping how we support our schools. For example, one of the most pressing priorities that our research highlighted is helping students recognise the skills they are developing alongside deep subject knowledge that will support their future. Teams across Cambridge are working to incorporate these first learnings into our existing programmes and to plan new initiatives that will enable us to make an ever-greater contribution to our students’ futures.

AI & Education

No review of education’s role in preparing students to navigate a changing world can ignore the impact of transformative technologies such as generative AI. In our research, a quarter of students surveyed reported that the greatest benefit of digital technology (from those presented) was in finding and understanding information, hinting that they may see it as a shortcut to knowledge. As one student from India explained: “As AI gets more popular and more widely available, the need to memorise subject knowledge becomes less important as we can find and implement subject knowledge easily with the help of AI.”

As educators, we see both the peril and the promise in this mind-set. AI and other technologies must be integrated to the advantage of learning, not its detriment. A school leader from Oman captured this well: “By taking shortcuts, you’re missing the beautiful mountain road.”

Our broad research findings remind us that preparation for the future is about more than technology or skills, it's also about wellbeing, resilience, and human connection — enabling young people to have meaningful conversations and build productive relationships. We are planning to extend our award-winning Wellbeing Curriculum to make it relevant for students aged 14 and over and work with our schools to develop a shared language of wellbeing and collaboration.

Retaining Strength, Embracing Flexibility

Importantly, this is not about abandoning tried and tested foundations. It is about re-setting —retaining the strength of subject knowledge while revisiting and reconsidering what it means to be prepared for the future in a world that is changing.

Cambridge qualifications allow in-depth learning in chosen subjects, and students choose only the subjects they enjoy and excel in, without having to study mandatory subjects. Our students can choose from more than 50 subjects for AS & A Level and over 70 subjects for Cambridge IGCSE, as such our curriculum offers a clear and customisable path to university. Around two and a half thousand universities in 90 countries formally recognise Cambridge qualifications, for their rigour and reliability, and this gives students a world full of opportunities, including contributing to progress in their own countries.

Conclusion

Our International Education curriculum is not a ceiling or a rulebook. It is designed—and continually refreshed — purposefully to be adapted to local cultures and environments. We have long-standing experience of co-creating solutions with over 50 governments to ensure the education we offer is relevant, equitable, and impactful.

Our curriculum is a canvas—strong, flexible, and open to creativity. The reset in education is about using that canvas boldly. It’s about inviting educators and learners to add their own colours, to explore beyond the edges, and to see education as an evolving masterpiece rather than a fixed design. It’s about preparing young people not only for the future they will face, but for the future they want to create.