In a world marked by uncertainty and excess information, educating can no longer be reduced to simple content transmission. Not only are we going through a change of era, but a true time change: one that question not only what we teach, but for what. Schools – tensioned by increasingly complex challenges such as coexistence, mental health or demotivation – need to reformulate their deepest purpose.
Because when knowledge is available in excess, what is missing is not information, but soft mental structures that allow integrating, contextualizing it and turning it into criteria. Educating, then, is to prepare people not only to navigate complexity, but to transform it.
The 21st century school must be much more than a space to learn academic content. In a context where titles no longer guarantee employability or social inclusion, socio -emotional competencies and the development of leadership emerge as pillars of a sense with meaning. Learning to make decisions, working as a team, managing emotions and communicating clearly is today as crucial as understanding how the human body works or interpreting phenomena of the world we inhabit. Training citizens capable of acting with criteria, empathy and responsibility in complex environments becomes a central mission of the educational system.
The problem is not less. According to the report School registration and segregation in Latin America (Argentines for education), only 22 % of 15 -year -old Argentine adolescents end high school in a timely manner (without repeating or abandoning), reaching the expected levels in mathematics and reading. At the same time, the initial and primary enrollment fell in the last decade, as a combined effect of low birth and the growing school fragmentation.
In this scenario, thinking about an education that forms leaders is not a utopia: it is an urgency. The data show that the potential exists. He Comparative and Explanatory Regional Study (ERCE 2019) of UNESCO It reveals that 75% of sixth -grade Latin American students are perceived capable of self -regulating their emotions, 50% demonstrates empathic behaviors and 80% expresses openness to diversity.
The raw material is clearly present from an early age, what is missing is a pedagogical model that recognizes it and cultivates it. The work world also claims. According to him Future of Jobs Report 2025 of the World Economic Forum84 % of employers in Latin America and the Caribbean will prioritize skills such as leadership, resilience and social influence to face technological and climatic challenges. The so -called soft skills – Personal management skills, collaboration, vision and adaptability to change – are no longer a complement: they are the nucleus of an integral formation. Young people who acquire these competitions report not only better levels of academic and social integration, but also greater self -confidence.
Argentina is no stranger to this trend. The program I deal withpromoted by the Argennova Foundation with the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation, promotes leadership from childhood with a methodology that puts students in the center. In small groups and with teachers in the role of facilitators, boys practice decision making, reflection and collaborative work in a safe environment. “They learn to lead leading “
This proposal is aligned with the findings of the joint report of UNESCO and the OEI “Lead for democracy (2025)which highlights the importance of leadership distributed among teachers and students as an engine to strengthen democratic participation and culture in schools in the region.
In addition, the Inter -American Development Bank proposes a specific roadmap in its Document Development Document in Latin America and the Caribbean (2021): Strengthen capabilities from childhood to adulthood, with focus on teaching quality, equity, technology and use of evidence. “A strategic vision that positions leadership formation not as educational fashion, but as a sustainable public policy. ”
The results are already beginning to be noticed. The institutions that integrate leadership programs record real improvements in coexistence, lower incidence of bullying, greater school retention and healthier emotional development. In a system that must reconcile inclusion with quality, integrating leadership appears as a solid and sustainable response that impacts both dimensions at the same time.
Because educating to lead is not just a pedagogical choice: it is a political, ethical and social commitment. If we want more empathic, fair and innovative societies, we must start from the classroom. And the sooner we do, the better.
*Alejandro Contreras is director of Argennova and representative of the John Maxwell Foundation in Argentina.
By Alejandro Contreras
