Are We Raising Learners—or Losing Them?

The landscape of education is changing—and not always for the better. We are witnessing a shift where learning is reduced to a transaction: marks, metrics, and marketability. With the rise of AI tools, students are being sold the idea that they don’t need to learn, they just need to generate. And while these tools hold enormous potential, when misused or overused, they risk stripping learning of its depth, creativity, and human core.

We must ask: What kind of workforce are we preparing for the future? Will tomorrow's engineers, handymen, consultants, teachers, philosophers—even artists and writers—have the patience, skills, and integrity to do what their professions truly demand?

The Illusion of Mastery

When marks become the goal rather than the outcome of meaningful learning, we breed shortcuts. Students learn to mimic rather than master. They are taught to “hack the system,” not to challenge it or improve it. AI-powered essays, formulaic responses, and recycled content dominate classrooms, while deep thinking, reflection, and craftsmanship take a backseat.

This becomes even more worrying when students are encouraged—directly or indirectly—to manipulate facts for better grades or more engagement. Fake news creation has even become a “creative” activity in some educational settings. What does that teach them about truth?

The Rise of the Influencer Economy

Parallel to the classroom is the influencer economy—a marketplace that trades on outrage, aesthetics, and carefully curated lifestyles. Many young people aspire to be content creators, not necessarily because they are passionate about storytelling or innovation, but because they equate virality with value. Likes and shares have become a form of currency. In some tragic cases, even lives have been lost chasing this digital fame.

What happens to empathy, community, or critical thinking in such a world? We are seeing the effects already: a generation increasingly disconnected from the needs of others, focused more on personal branding than meaningful contribution. We are raising self-centred digital citizens in a hyper-connected but emotionally disconnected world.

What About Manual and Emotional Labour?

Professions that require human touch—nursing, plumbing, teaching, coaching, caregiving—are not just about knowledge. They demand intuition, patience, resilience, and often, emotional labour. These cannot be outsourced to ChatGPT or replaced by a perfectly polished TikTok.

So where are we heading, if our students cannot fix a dripping tap, hold a conversation without googling, or deliver bad news with dignity? Have we forgotten that the value of education lies not just in knowing, but in being—a thoughtful, responsive, ethical human being?

The Way Forward: A More Human Education

Education must rediscover its purpose. It is time to move beyond metrics and monetisation. While AI and digital tools can support learning, they should never replace it. Teachers and mentors must lead students back to the joy of understanding, the pain of effort, and the reward of originality.

Let us teach students how to question deeply, argue respectfully, fail meaningfully, and most of all—care.

Because in a world where everything is becoming automated, being human might just be the greatest skill of all.