The future demands thinkers.
Inquiry builds adaptability.
Artificial intelligence can retrieve facts faster than any human. What it can’t replace (yet) is judgement, creativity, ethical reasoning and curiosity.
Inquiry-based STEM develops precisely these capacities.
Research shows that students engaged in inquiry demonstrate stronger problem-solving, adaptability and motivation, skills essential for a labour market that doesn’t yet fully exist. Inquiry teaches students how to learn, unlearn and relearn.
New Zealand doesn’t need to lead the world tomorrow. But we do need to catch up, quickly, by aligning learning with the realities young people will face.
Education must be for those being educated, not a nostalgic defence of systems that once worked.