As global parents, we all know that the world is rapidly moving and the world your children will inherit in 2035 or when they grow up will be very different from today.
Artificial intelligence will handle routine tasks, automation will reshape jobs, and success will belong to those who can think creatively, connect deeply with others, and adjust across cultures. Grades alone will no longer be enough.
The skills that will matter in 2035 are the deeply human ones, creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, cross-cultural communication, and global collaboration.
These are the transformative competencies that will set your child apart and help them thrive in a complex, interconnected world.
At Santosa Intercultural School, as an International School in Bali, we don’t wait until 2035 to build these skills. Our Cambridge Curriculum, combined with our holistic approach, already develops them every single day.
Why Creativity Will Be the Top Skill in 2035
By 2035, creativity will be the most sought after skill because AI can replicate knowledge, but it cannot invent new ideas the way humans can.
The OECD’s Future of Education and Skills 2030 project calls creativity one of the three “transformative competencies” that students must master to create value in tomorrow’s world.
Creative thinkers solve problems that don’t yet exist. They turn challenges into opportunities to grow. In our classrooms at Santosa, children are encouraged to invent their own path, design the solutions, and express ideas through art, music, and project-based learning.
Giving your child some open ended questions instead of worksheets. “What would you build if you could change one thing in the world?” This simple habit sparks the creative confidence that will matter most in 2035.
Critical Thinking: The Superpower for Navigating Complexity
In 2035, information will be everywhere, but wisdom will be rare. Critical thinking, the ability to analyse, evaluate, and make decisions will be essential.
The OECD highlights critical thinking as a core future competency because it helps students reconcile tensions and make ethical choices in a rapidly changing world.
At Santosa Intercultural School, we teach it through debates, real world projects, and inquiry based learning rather than rote memorisation.
“Why do you think that?” or “What might happen if…?” instead of giving immediate answers. These small conversations build the sharp, independent minds that society will value in 2035.
Emotional Intelligence: The Skill That Makes Everything Else Possible
Empathy and emotional intelligence will outshine technical knowledge because technology cannot replace human connection. Leaders, innovators, and collaborators in 2035 will need high emotional intelligence to inspire teams, resolve conflicts, and work efficiently.
The OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 report stresses that students must develop the ability to take responsibility for their actions and understand others’ perspectives.
At Santosa, we weave emotional intelligence into daily life through reflection circles, peer mentoring, and character education. We also have our certified in house psychologic that they can consult for any area that they need support. Guiding their young minds with tons of questions and hesitations, our designated team will help them during these rough times of teenagers’ life.
Name emotions together (“I can see you feel frustrated”), listen actively, and celebrate kindness. These habits lay the foundation for the empathy that will make your child a trusted leader in 2035.
Cross Cultural Communication: Speaking the Language of the Future
Global collaboration will be the norm, not the exception. Children who can communicate effectively across cultures will have a massive advantage.
The OECD identifies reconciling tensions and understanding diverse viewpoints as key future skills. Learning alongside friends from many countries, exploring Indonesian traditions, and discussing global issues in our Cambridge program can broaden their point of view towards the modern world and open a lot more opportunities in their future.
At home, you can support this at home by watching international stories together, cooking meals from different cultures, or simply asking “How do you think people in another country might see this?” These small steps help them to build the cross-cultural communication skills.
Working Together Across Borders
The ability to collaborate with people from different backgrounds will be non-negotiable. The OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 project calls this “creating new value through collective intelligence.”
At Santosa Intercultural School, we create group projects, international exchanges, and community service teach children how to listen, compromise, and co create skills that turn individual talent into powerful teamwork. It helps them to work better in a team, which can add the effectiveness and trust among peers, which is unable to be replaced with technology or Artificial Intelligence.
Encourage this by involving your child in team games, group problem solving at home, or virtual connections with relatives abroad.
The Future Belongs to the Human Heart and Mind
By 2035, creativity, empathy, and global thinking will outshine grades. The children who master these skills will lead, innovate, and connect in ways we can only imagine today. As an International School in Bali, we are already preparing your child for that future today.
To see how we implement these values in our daily curriculum, learn more about our programs at our International School in Bali.
Professional Source from:
https://www.oecd.org/en/about/projects/future-of-education-and-skills-2030.html