As the world evolves and becomes more globalised and technologically advanced, so too it is necessary for education to evolve. In the 19th and 20th centuries, education focused largely on literacy and numeracy, as well as on accumulating facts across subjects. This was useful at the
time but now information is no longer solely stored in analogue and, in fact, there is a huge surplus of information that can be readily accessed. Furthermore, there is a tendency for education to promote patriotic narratives as opposed to a more global view. Although this can help to create
a feeling of togetherness, it can distract from deep thinking in subjects like history and literature and lead to misconceptions of a country, which can be damaging in our increasingly globalised world. Therefore, education must adapt to meet the changing needs of the 21st century. Key skills
required include communication, problem solving and critical thinking. Education in many countries is still based on 20th century needs although there are courses and qualifications that better fit the 21st century and these are becoming increasingly important. An example of this is the International
Baccalaureate (IB). Although this was developed in 1958, it is well suited to the 21st century with its founding principles being focused on communication, exploratory learning and critical thinking. Indeed, it was designed to be an educational programme that could promote global peace. Professor
Kenji Tanahashi, Graduate School of Human and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan, is exploring the principles of the IB with a view to incorporating them into a reappraisal of the Japanese education system.