In the recent US presidential elections, every single poll was incorrect in their predictions with the exception of one – conducted via artificial intelligence! The list of what a human can only do or better than a machine is getting smaller and this exponential growth in technology is disrupting all areas of our economy and business.

Middle class wages have been stagnant for a number of decades, despite rises in global GDP and productivity, this is a result of technology and has contributed to the recent political upheavals such as Brexit and the US election.

As technologies collide; as solar energy replaces fossil fuels, as self-driving cars become reality, as artificial intelligence learns at a faster rate than humans, as medicine becomes predictive and preventative rather than reactive, as desalination plants run on cheap solar power green the deserts global structures, norms and underlying assumptions will be turned on their head. The ability to adapt (to unlearn and relearn) and the ability to understand humanity will be crucial skills for life and work.

As our senior students are about to embark on their journey into the world they have been assessed by being shut in a room with a pen and some paper, denied access to the internet and prevented from collaborating. Education is clearly in need of some disruption.

Two barriers to educational change are over regulation and assessment that rewards rote learning and it is within this context that the Board has reviewed the proposed changes to educational funding. It is of concern that the Ministry is attempting to encourage flexibility through regulation and address inclusivity through reducing the diversity and special character of our state schools. The Board has established a position on the Ministry of Education’s changes which can be read here. There is a need for educational change this should be more than tinkering and needs to focus on ensuring there are ambitious and high quality mentors modelling adaptability and humanity to our students.

In 2017 Christchurch Boys’ High School will continue its advances in eLearning (we have been very fortunate to have the support of Craig Trembath’s estate to enable this) and the development of our curriculum in alignment with SOLO as a teaching framework. We are also looking forward to a focus on wellbeing.

Tradition, community and belonging will always be central to Christchurch Boys’ High School and as we head into an exciting future (and cheap energy means it could be one of abundance) change and experimentation will become a greater part of our business as usual.

Altiora Peto