EDUCATION

What Should Schools Prepare Us For?

Educating for a Future That Inspires and Uplifts

In Italy, only 5% of workers report being engaged in their jobs—an economic crisis with deep roots in the education system.
What needs to change?

By Lorenzo Fariselli
Director, Six Seconds Europe

Elementary Classroom of Diverse Bright Children Listening to Teacher Giving a Lesson. Everyone Raises Hand Knowing the Right Answer. Brilliant Kids in School Learning. Teacher Over the Shoulder Shot

In the contemporary debate about education, a recurring dichotomy emerges: should schools prepare students for work – or for life? While the question is crucial, it misses a deeper point: What exactly do we mean by “work” and what do we mean by “life”? Do the two not influence each other in a constant, never ending cycle? As we’ll explore in this article, the overlapping crises of youth mental health, low engagement at work and high levels of burnout make it clear that it’s time to move past this outdated framework, and develop an educational framework that prepares students for all aspects of life.

What Should Schools Prepare Us For?

Today, statistics on employees’ mental health are growing increasingly concerning. In Italy, only 5% of workers report being engaged in their jobs—a crisis not just for businesses but for the entire educational and social system. But first, let’s look at the economic impact alone: This disengagement translates to economic losses estimated at €273 billion, or 18% of Italy’s GDP (Gallup, State of the Global Workplace, 2024).

The social impact is harder to calculate, but immense in its own way. With engagement so low, fatigue and dissatisfaction from work inevitably spill over into personal lives, draining energy and compounding stress.

In the midst of a global emotional recession, what should schools truly prepare us for? Schools must rise above polarized debates and unite two goals: to equip future generations to contribute economically and to create a better future for us all. Research indicates that these goals are more aligned than many people think, but the challenges are real.

Countering Society’s Dehumanizing Mechanisms

Philosopher Umberto Galimberti warns of society’s increasing dehumanization. He references the mindset where efficiency overrides all other values, drawing parallels to historical systems where individuals became mere cogs in a machine. This same mindset infiltrates education when schools focus solely on “covering the curriculum” instead of fostering deep understanding, ethical reflection, and emotional awareness.

A school system that trains students to perform tasks efficiently, without understanding their meaning or impact, risks creating workers who perpetuate this mechanistic approach. Education, therefore, must instill moral and ethical nobility, preparing individuals to contribute meaningfully to collective wellbeing. This requires a radical rethinking of education, placing Emotional Intelligence (EQ) at its core—skills that enable individuals to use emotions wisely to pursue noble goals.

Gen Z Burnout Crisis Fuels New Focus on Mental Health

Generation Z, which is now entering the workforce, faces unprecedented burnout rates compared to previous generations (State of the Heart 2024, Six Seconds). This crisis stems from emotional health challenges, exacerbated by loneliness and isolation, and a lack of key emotional skills: navigating emotions, pursuing meaningful goals, and finding intrinsic motivation—skills that schools and workplaces fail to develop.

To address this, schools must transform into environments where students not only learn technical knowledge but also develop essential human skills like Emotional Intelligence. EQ allows individuals to harness the wisdom of their emotions, understand social dynamics, and build healthier, more productive relationships. The good news? Emotional intelligence has been found to increase academic achievement, both for individual students and entire classrooms – suggesting that investing in children’s technical and emotional success are not mutually exclusive at all. A healthy emotional climate is like the soil that supports learning of all other subjects.

Companies, too, must recognize their role in creating supportive environments that nurture these skills. But they don’t have to do so purely from an ethical or moral standpoint. Emotional intelligence is a key driver of performance for individuals, teams and companies all over the world. Employees high in emotional intelligence are more likely to stay, be engaged and productive, and perform at high levels. High EQ leaders are more effective, and organizations that prioritize EQ are 22x as likely to be high performing. It’s not just the right thing to do; it’s good for business.

A New Future for Schools

In this context, it is essential that schools become places where young people learn how to be. They can learn to understand their emotions, manage stress, find intrinsic motivation, and collaborate constructively and cooperatively with others. Teachers must have the “luxury” to pause the curriculum when significant issues arise within the class, addressing and resolving them. These moments, beyond being beneficial for academic performance, serve as a training ground for what truly matters in life: our humanity.

Only in this way can we create a generation of workers who are also self-aware and socially responsible individuals, capable of making a positive contribution to society. And not only that, they will have the emotional resilience to navigate the inevitable ups and downs of technological change and economic uncertainty that come along.

Today, we need a focused and scientifically grounded emphasis on the skills that will enable the new generations to build an inspiring future: the skills of Emotional Intelligence.