A recent survey by World’s Largest Lesson, ran publicly from August 16, 2022 until January 24, 2023, which was completed by more than 37,000 students in 150 countries
The World’s Largest Lesson, an initiative led by Project Everyone, UNICEF and NetApp, a cloud-led, data-centric software company, revealed the findings from a recent survey which garnered 37,000 responses from young people in over 150 countries including India, many sharing their views for the first time.
The gamified survey aimed to understand the student sentiments towards modernising education.
When students were asked what they believe the purpose of school should be, 48 per cent of responses related to gaining practical skills for the real world.
“Students are imagining a future that is very different from the one their current curriculums were developed for. They want to be ready to thrive in new, green economies and to help build a sustainable world,” says Alison Bellwood, Executive Director, World’s Largest Lesson.
77 per cent of students are happy to be back at school after Covid-19 and they have shared thousands of ideas about what they want to see changed in education.
When asked whether they were learning enough about a range of topics, 61 per cent of students worldwide said they feel they are learning not enough or not at all about digital skills like programming and coding. Around 5000 students from India were interviewed – constituting the second largest respondent group. Nearly 50 per cent said that they are learning a key range of digital skills.
A close second with almost 59 per cent global students called for financial literacy or how to make a budget with 55 per cent wanting to understand how to analyse and use data.
While being prepared for jobs and the future were top of mind, a further 44 per cent wanted to learn more about how to look after their mental health and wellbeing, with 33 per cent reporting they feel anxious to be back at school after Covid-19. 42 per cent of students reported wanting to understand different cultures and a further 42 per cent wanted to learn more about how to protect the planet.
When asked for ideas on how to improve education, the most common global theme was practical skills attainment, at 33 per cent and a further 21 per cent mentioned being more informed on key issues. Nearly 20 per cent talked about changing how they learn, for example reducing pressure to succeed in exams or allowing students more individual choice.
The survey invited children and young people aged 10-18 around the world to share their views and ideas on education. It asked questions about how they felt Covid-19 had impacted their learning, what they like about their education and what they’d like to change. The survey is one element of World’s Largest Lesson 2022 created to help children and young people, aged 10 and above, become activists for SDG4: Quality Education.
