Only 45% of students feel ready for life beyond school: Study

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Less than half of students, including those in India, felt well prepared for their next educational step, and only 45% felt ready for life beyond school, according to a global survey.

Conducted by Cambridge University Press and Assessment, the survey - Preparing Learners to Thrive in a Changing World: The View from International Education - will be released on Tuesday and drew responses from 3,021 teachers and 3,840 students across 150 countries, including a weighted sample of South-Asian participants.

Subject knowledge, once the undisputed passport to success, now looks more like a short-term currency. Though teachers and students still see it as vital for clearing exams, it was the least-selected priority for life after school, according to the report.

Teachers are more optimistic: more than two-thirds say their students are ready for the next step and many stress leadership and self-management skills.

Yet complacency looms; an Indian student observed: "As AI grows... memorising subject knowledge matters less."

Students still prize subject knowledge for exams but ranked leadership, management and business skills highest for life beyond school. An Indian teacher noted that many pupils "have made short-term plans for next one or two years" yet are unsure about postgraduation choices.

According to Rod Smith, Cambridge's head of international education, South Asian parents, who once focused on which university their child could enter, now ask whether schooling "will prepare you with the kind of skills that are going to make you successful in a future world". Self-management illustrates the gap: one in four teachers identified it as the hardest skill to teach, and about 19% of students found it hardest to learn. Technology amplifies the challenge - two-thirds of students worry about distraction from devices, and 88% of teachers say attention spans are shrinking.

Interpersonal skills also suffer. Teachers cite fear of judgment and social anxiety as the biggest barriers to developing interpersonal skills, and 60% see decreased social skills as a major downside of technology, the survey found.

A school leader from India warned that technology connects learners but "has limited understanding in the way it offers solutions," narrowing world views. Another student said communication skills are vital because "we need to exchange ideas... before it gets out of hand." Experts in the report stress that subject knowledge is more important than ever; without a solid base, AI can mislead rather than empower. Smith echoed this, saying over-reliance on technology "leads you down dead end."

Cambridge plans to help schools balance rigorous subject knowledge with chances to practise self-management, leadership & communication.

For India, where parents have invested heavily in education, the findings are a call to action. Students may undervalue their readiness, but teachers see potential. Giving young people discipline with technology, confidence to collaborate and curiosity to keep learning could turn promise into an advantage in the future.

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