World Education Day: Rethinking Human Formation Beyond the Academic Framework

Introduction

Every 24 January, the world celebrates the International Day of Education, established by the United Nations and championed in particular by UNESCO.

Beyond official speeches and institutional statements, this day seems to me above all an invitation to stop and reflect: what do we really mean by education, and what are we trying to produce through it?

In a global context marked by uncertainty, complexity and an evident crisis of reference points, the question of education can no longer be approached solely from a school or academic angle. It touches something much deeper: the formation of the human being.

I – World Education Day: a necessary reminder

The International Day of Education was proclaimed to remind us that education is a fundamental right, a public good and an essential lever for the development of societies. It aims to mobilise states, institutions, educators and civil society around a common goal: guaranteeing inclusive, equitable and quality education for all.

Each year, a particular theme highlights the challenges facing education systems: access to education, the role of teachers, pedagogical innovation, resilience in the face of crises. These themes show how much education is at once a pillar of stability and an engine of transformation.

Yet despite commitments and reforms, one observation remains: something is missing.

Inequalities persist, school dropout is rising in some contexts, and many learners leave the education system without clear reference points, without a vision, sometimes even without a real sense of their place in the world.

This raises an essential question: have we reduced education to what it should not be?

II – The limits of a strictly academic approach

Even today, education is largely assessed through performance indicators: grades, diplomas, rankings, technical skills. These elements are important, but they are no longer enough.

We live in a world where:

• information is omnipresent but rarely structured,

• the decisions to be made are many and consequential,

• ethical, identity-related and cultural reference points are weakened.

In this context, training only academically high-performing profiles guarantees neither discernment, nor inner stability, nor the ability to make sound choices.

One can succeed brilliantly at school and yet be deeply disoriented.

This is, in my view, one of the blind spots of our education systems: they train minds, but not always persons.

III – My view, my conviction: education goes beyond school

For me, education is not limited to school, university or classrooms. It begins well before and continues well after. It concerns the overall construction of the human being.

To educate is not only to pass on knowledge or prepare for a profession. It is also to help a person to:

• know themselves,

• understand the meaning of their journey,

• develop their critical thinking,

• build solid values,

• learn to decide responsibly.

To train the intellect without forming the person is to lay fragile foundations. Yet in an unstable world, it is precisely these inner foundations that allow us to hold on, move forward and contribute fairly.

Education should therefore be thought of as a process of integral formation, where the acquisition of knowledge goes hand in hand with real work on identity, conscience and responsibility.

IV – Human potential: a central element too often neglected

Another point that seems essential to me is taking human potential into account. Every human being carries aptitudes, talents, a particular sensitivity. Yet educational paths remain largely standardised, leaving little room for singularity.

I am convinced that each person has a domain for which they were born. But they must still be helped to discover it, to understand it and to channel it. Without this support, many miss what they truly carry, for lack of having been guided or listened to.

To recognise human potential is to accept that:

• forms of intelligence are multiple,

• success cannot be reduced to a single model,

• education must be a space of revelation, not of moulding.

Helping someone identify their potential means giving them the means to build an aligned path, one that carries meaning and is useful to society.

V – Towards a fairer and more human education

Integrating the building of the person and the notion of human potential does not mean giving up academic rigour. It is rather a matter of rebalancing.

This requires:

• pedagogies more attentive to individual paths,

• better recognition of human and relational skills,

• closer collaboration between families, institutions and society,

• and recognition of the fundamental role of educators in forming people, and not only in transmitting content.

Rethinking education takes courage, lucidity and a long-term vision. But it is an indispensable investment if we want to build strong and responsible societies.

Conclusion: giving meaning back to the act of educating

World Education Day should not be a mere symbolic date. It should be a time of collective questioning.

To rethink education is to ask what kind of men and women we want to see emerge tomorrow.

If we want more balanced, more conscious and more human societies, then we must promote an education that is not limited to training competent profiles, but that builds grounded persons, aware of their value and their potential.

Because ultimately, to educate is not only to prepare to succeed.

It is to prepare to live, to choose and to contribute.

Sonia Beguide