International frameworks increasingly describe education in terms that extend beyond the acquisition of disciplinary knowledge. UNESCO’s work on transversal competencies identifies critical and innovative thinking, interpersonal and intrapersonal capability, global citizenship, and media and information literacy as important dimensions of learning. Its Education for Sustainable Development framework further emphasizes systems thinking, collaboration, self-awareness, critical thinking, strategic action, and integrated problem-solving. The OECD Learning Compass similarly places student agency and the capacity to create new value among the capabilities young people will need to navigate and shape an uncertain world. Taken together, these frameworks describe an increasingly ambitious educational purpose: young people should leave school able to mobilize knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and relationships in response to complex circumstances and participate meaningfully in the social, cultural, environmental, and economic life around them. The challenge now lies in making that ambition consistently visible in the lived experience of learning. Research examining competency-oriented reform has repeatedly identified a gap between policy and implementation. UNESCO studies have found that teacher professional development often provides limited support for transversal competencies, practical classroom approaches remain underdeveloped, and assessment guidance is uneven. A global survey of more than 58,000 teachers conducted by UNESCO and Education International similarly found strong commitment to transformative education alongside significant gaps in confidence, pedagogical preparation, resources, and assessment capacity. This overview begins in that gap

Alongside enduring commitments to literacy and numeracy, growing emphasis has been placed on competency-based education, whole-child development, foundational learning, and social-emotional learning. Collectively, these movements reflect a shared recognition that education must prepare learners not only to acquire knowledge, but also to think critically, collaborate effectively, adapt to change, and participate meaningfully in society. This paper argues that one foundational developmental capability remains largely absent from contemporary educational discourse: the intentional cultivation of a young person's capacity to create value for others. Drawing upon developmental science, learning science, educational psychology, and entrepreneurship education research, the paper proposes that this capability develops progressively through authentic experiences of participation, contribution, reflection, and purposeful action. Like literacy, numeracy, and relational development, it is not an innate characteristic possessed by a select few, but a developmental capacity that can be intentionally cultivated throughout childhood. To support this argument, the paper first examines evidence demonstrating that human capability develops through experience and that beliefs such as agency, confidence, resilience, and initiative emerge through repeated opportunities for meaningful participation. It then explores research from experiential learning and entrepreneurship education, demonstrating that entrepreneurial thinking is best understood not as preparation for business creation, but as the capacity to recognize opportunities, respond to authentic needs, and create value within communities. Social entrepreneurship is presented as a pedagogical approach that enables learners to connect academic knowledge with meaningful contribution while simultaneously strengthening identity, motivation, and engagement. Building upon th

Over the past five years alone, advances in artificial intelligence, shifts in global labor markets, and escalating climate instability have reshaped the context in which young people will live and work. What was once a future-oriented conversation has become a present-day reality. Artificial intelligence is no longer emerging—it is already embedded in how students learn, create, and solve problems, often beyond the control or structure of formal education systems (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] 2026). This shift has profound implications. Skills are no longer static. Knowledge is no longer scarce. And the pace of change is no longer linear. As the OECD notes, advances in AI are already beginning to outperform humans in areas once considered foundational, prompting a fundamental reconsideration of what education should prioritize moving forward (OECD, 2025). In this context, education systems that rely on predictability, standardization, and content coverage as primary drivers of success are increasingly misaligned with the realities learners will face. The question is no longer whether education must evolve. The question is whether systems can evolve quickly enough and deeply enough to remain relevant and useful to today’s learners. And whether we are willing to act before the cost of inaction is carried by an entire generation.