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Malta Business Review<br />
EDUCATION<br />
The Global Search for Education:<br />
A Conversation with Sir Michael Barber<br />
By David Wine & CMRubinWorld<br />
According to a recent report by PwC, within<br />
15 years, artificial intelligence will take over<br />
38% of U.S. jobs. This trend is expected to<br />
continue. What will employment look like?<br />
Which jobs will disappear and what does all<br />
of this mean for education?<br />
According to Sir Michael Barber, former<br />
advisor to Tony Blair and former Chief<br />
Education advisor to Pearson, “it’s not just<br />
what jobs will exist and what won’t. It’s about<br />
what parts of current roles will be automated<br />
and what won’t.” He notes that we will still<br />
need doctors and lawyers but that “machines<br />
will often be more accurate” in terms of<br />
diagnosis and determination.<br />
In terms of changes for global education,<br />
Barber notes that “the combination of<br />
great teachers and sophisticated AI could<br />
be transformative,” but warns that change<br />
leaders will “miss the point” if they believe<br />
educators will have to “choose between<br />
teachers and AI.” He believes that “fewer,<br />
more sophisticated teachers will combine<br />
with machines that relieve them of drudgery<br />
and provide a powerful evidence base for<br />
their teaching.“ He notes that students will<br />
need “high standards in the basics, a good<br />
knowledge of history, social science, literature<br />
and science,” and that “everyone will need an<br />
ethical perspective and a personal sense of<br />
ability to contribute.”<br />
Sir Michael Barber, former advisor to Tony Blair and former Chief Education advisor to Pearson.<br />
“It’s really important that<br />
students don’t think of<br />
education solely as preparation<br />
for the next stage of their life.”<br />
Sir Michael Barber has been at the forefront<br />
of global thinking in education for the past<br />
twenty years. He served as Chief Education<br />
Advisor to Pearson. He is the Founder and<br />
Chairman of Delivery Associates. In the<br />
past, Barber has served as the head of the<br />
global education practice at McKinsey,<br />
advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and as<br />
a global expert on education reform and<br />
implementation of large-scale system change.<br />
Additionally, he has been a consultant to<br />
governments around the world.<br />
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