Progress of modern societies has been largely driven by advances in science and technology; new knowledge acquisition; socio cultural transitions and in particular free expression of thought. These have been due to education, its influence and reach. As a primary tool of knowledge transmission through generations, it has allowed for progression of traditional wisdom, to modern societies. New ways of thinking, teaching and learning have been complemented by novel tools, methods and materials in society.

In a continuously evolving world, to bring about desired social transformations it is an imperative to have the right education, tools, and attitudes. Economic and social developments are linked to natural resources, human skills, and capital. These depend on how effectively the right knowledge systems are developed. Local cultures and belief systems often determine what kind of knowledge matters most in any location. In the future all knowledge societies will be defined by local complexities and diversity. A key issue confronting modern societies is that of ethics in life and work, its implications and challenges. In a conflict driven world the ability to understand and assess conflicts, their impact on education, and possible options to deal with them have become critical.

The need for collaborative and integrative disciplines to resolve major challenges of climate change, food security, transportation, healthcare, to name few, is now recognised by all the stakeholders. This integration is happening not only within scientific disciplines but also between scientific and non-scientific domains. The primary objective of interdisciplinary education (IDE) is to improve the cognitive abilities of the children, help develop appropriate knowledge, criticality of thinking, ethical concerns, analytical insights, problem solving skills, and a passion for learning. These factors will have to complemented by community based collaborative learning-teaching models; context based learning models; research based curriculum development; and more importantly integration of indigenous knowledge systems with modern knowledge systems.

Human societies are in a continuous state of engagement with complex systems, natural ecosystems, marine biosystems, human body systems, solar systems, industrial manufacturing systems, legal systems and a host of others which governs, influences and guide our decision making process on a daily basis. Systems theory, functioning more as set of principles, offers a new perspective that links relationships and interactions, provides decision makers, the tools to respond to and cope with unexpected events in complex systems. It provides us an idea about the degree by which organization of components in a system shapes the behavior and final outcomes.

In recent times adoption of systems thinking approaches has led to newer understanding of cognitive sciences, sustainability processes, resource management, healthcare, public hygiene, and a host of other areas of immediate relevance to the society. Resolution to contemporary industrial, government and societal challenges are beyond the scope of anyone discipline, and we need more integration between sciences, engineering arts, sociology, to name a few.

We seek to engage with the stakeholders in education and literacy who are embracing newer approaches to teaching and learning to build an iterative platform for a learning society.