Contemporary education systems remain overwhelmingly structured around degrees, diplomas, and certificates as primary indicators of success. While such credentials serve labour market signalling functions, they increasingly fail to equip learners with the life skills, ethical dispositions, and ecological consciousness required to sustain livelihoods, communities, and the planet. This paper critically examines the limitations of credential-centric education models in addressing the interconnected social, economic, and environmental challenges of the 21st century. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature spanning human capital theory, capability theory, education for sustainable development, and Indigenous and relational knowledge systems, the study argues that formal qualifications alone are insufficient for fostering human flourishing and planetary wellbeing. The paper advances a re-conceptualisation of education that prioritises life skills, relational learning, environmental stewardship, and socio-emotional competence alongside academic knowledge. It highlights how current schooling and higher education structures often marginalise practical wisdom, ethical responsibility, and community-embedded learning, thereby producing graduates who are technically qualified yet insufficiently prepared for real-world complexity. The paper concludes by proposing a shift from qualification accumulation to capability-based and life-centred education frameworks, calling for systemic reforms in curriculum design, pedagogy, assessment, and education policy to better align learning with the demands of sustainable living and harmonious coexistence with people and the planet.

Life skills, Credentialism, Education for sustainable development, Human flourishing, Capability approach, Indigenous knowledge systems, Holistic education, Environmental stewardship

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