This weekend, I wanted to delve into education itself. It is broadly defined as the "the knowledge and development resulting from the process of learning or being taught" (Merriam-Webster, n.d.), as well as "the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools" (Merriam-Webster, n.d.) and "the knowledge and development resulting from the process of learning or being taught" (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).
Moreover, when I refer to education here, I am covering preschool, high school, and university levels. By teachers, I mean any individual who facilitates learning, ranging from professors and classroom instructors to those working within institutions that educate children and teenagers, extending even to our increasingly free university systems.
I am unsure how your own childhood and youth in education played out, but looking back at my timeline, I feel I could have enjoyed a more welcoming environment tailored to my specific skills. What I truly mean is removing the barrier of simply not wanting to go to school. There was often a strong desire to avoid teachers because they felt unfriendly, harsh, or less supportive than we needed them to be.
From what I have observed, teachers hold an incredibly heavy lifting role. First, they bear the enormous responsibility of ensuring you actually learn something along your educational journey. If a teacher truly cares about this outcome, they may experience sleepless nights worrying that not all students are following their guidance as hoped.
Secondly, educators must teach the right material while simultaneously earning admiration and respect. This reflects a natural human desire for recognition from students, and no disrespect.
Furthermore, a third crucial point is that teachers should be able to fulfill their dreams, meaning perhaps before becoming educators, they dreamed of being the best teachers imaginable, only to find reality playing its own distinct game.
Before I explore what teachers might think and hope, let us first look at the other side: the sometimes acidulous life of a motivated student who eventually becomes adamant. Some students enjoy a great educational life throughout their years, but that is not the central focus here.
The core argument here rests on the teacher's side. I believe that if we could find a solution to make teachers genuinely happy, we would effectively solve the global educational problem. But what is my proposition for achieving this?
In solving problems at scale, humanity has demonstrated remarkable success. Take Uber, for instance, which revolutionized taxi driving worldwide by placing the customer at the center of focus. They did not replace every taxi company, but they became a significant alternative in many cities.
Similarly, Airbnb emerged as a massive alternative to traditional hotels. They did not replace hotels entirely, yet they now offer travelers a meaningful choice to stay in spaces that might suit their needs better than big chain establishments. There are countless other solutions striving to address problems worldwide, offering either an alternative or a superior option for people seeking resolution.
According to Ritchie et al. (2023), receiving a good education is foundational to having a good life. They further note that this impact does not stop there and indeed, even in low income countries, most children cannot read by the end of primary school. I would argue even further based on my observations. It matters little whether you come from a rich or poor household if you, as the student, do not feel well during your educational experience, provided it's the same exact country.
I have witnessed friends who had everything available to them yet completely failed in education due to a multitude of different factors. Even though I myself grew up in a country that offered extensive resources, I still challenged significant educational pressure and encountered persistent problems. As noted by Ritchie et al. (2023), in the early 1800s, fewer than one in five adults possessed basic education, making education a luxury rather than a norm.
On the surface, this problem seems solved. However, data reveals that one in five adults has not received any formal education today. Another stunning fact, which I read but already suspected, is that being in school does not guarantee that a child receives a high quality education.
My conclusion is that c"Children across the world receive very different amounts of quality learning" (Ritchie et al., 2023), a finding strongly supported by data from Ritchie et al. (2023).
During my free time mostly on Sundays as a hobby, I have been coding an app designed to allow everyone to learn as much as they desire while receiving feedback on their progress. This app will remain free for a huge number of users worldwide. With some form of voluntary donation or contribution, I believe it could make a meaningful difference at a global scale for everybody. In the next posts, I will share more about these topics, unpacking what is on my mind, how I plan to solve the educational crisis worldwide in the age of AI, and what my specific contribution will be.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Education. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/education
Ritchie, H., Samborska, V., Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2023, October 24). Global Education. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/global-education