Societies across the globe has been 'educating' people to help them realise their potentials and flourish in life. In pre-industrial societies, education took place mostly informally within extended families, tight-knit communities, apprenticeships and simply being in the company of other human beings. Industrialization along with other forces of change brought to us a greater emphasis on formal education delivered through schools and universities. The change in both the conception of 'education' and also in the responsibility of its delivery provided many favourable outcomes in the form of widespread literacy, rapid scientific discoveries, increased economic productivity, and high standards of living. However, in the race to have more financial security, economic competitiveness, and productivity the purpose of education started to drastically change.

The purpose of this talk is to engage with the community to start thinking about the ways in which education can be re-imagined and could serve the purpose for which it is intended for – that is, joy, vitality and flourishing in life. In this talk, Dr Afzal will take the audience on a journey to re-visit what education really is, what it means to be educated, what are some of the ways to reclaim 'education' and make it a source of joy, a spring-well for vitality, and a guidance for flourishing.