What is the purpose of education? If you ask 3 people, you might get 4 different responses. Whether it is to raise the democratic consciousness of the politeia; to generate supply of skilled workers for the labour market; to awaken within the masses a criticality about man-made systems that serve, and those that do not; or simply the fulfilment of a desire to learn and grasp at the expanse of existence…each, pit as if to wrestle over – for better or worse – the role of schooling, examinations, university, grades, etc across the entire lived experience of a person. COVID-19 only made this match more apparent: The mode of encounter with our students/teachers, completely disrupted from the onset of the pandemic, intensified the searchlight upon long-held conceptualisations of the fundamental unit of student-and-teacher. Can there ever be reconciliation? Weighing in with personal experiences, we will step into the ring of inquiry, both amongst and within ourselves, around notions of education as a human right, as an investment, as a developmental norm – as, above all, a meeting of Beings. With hope, this conversational and reflective session will be the first of many we have to chart a path through this epoch, beyond ourselves.