What is the purpose of Education in the 21st Century?

What is the purpose of Education in the 21st Century?

I believe that the purpose of Education in 2021 AD is the same as it was in 2021 BC, which is to guarantee our species' survival by providing tools to integrate individuals into society. The difference is that now, social media blurs our geographic boundaries and places us in each other's homes. We are forced to coexist with the new, unfamiliar, and sometimes unpleasant presence of others.

Education is the pathway that directs humanity to its full potential. However, there is a "catch": what is full potential? Who defines what full potential is? What is the great source of wisdom that claims the magnificent power of knowing humanity's goals? In fact, the only constant in humanity's so-called progress is the necessity to survive. Everything else, including the Education system of an era, is malleable and structured to serve this fundamental quest for survival.

Maybe the 21st-century's definition of "full potential" is related to the ability to allow pieces of our individuality to fade so that our society as a whole can make it into the 22nd century. If that is true, the Education of today must create environments where individual differences can be freely expressed and acknowledged. Additionally, it must promote a strong sense of responsibility and commitment to the wellbeing of the group.

I see this ever-changing scope of Education as an attempt to sustain the shift of society's aspirations in each century. Our outward goals are changing from raising the standards of living through technology to seeking spiritual transcendence. But the underlying purpose is still the same: the survival of our species.

What do you think?