<p>This chapter examines the relationship between education and social change across major historical periods, from the philosophical academies of ancient Greece to the digital learning environments of the twenty-first century. Drawing on a range of scholarly sources, the analysis traces how systems of formal and informal learning have both enabled and constrained societal transformation. Education has served as an instrument of liberation in civil rights and anti-colonial struggles, as a mechanism for economic and cultural mobility during industrialisation, and as a site of ideological contest throughout the modern era. At the same time, educational institutions have historically reproduced inequality, reinforced dominant cultural norms, and served the interests of ruling elites. By examining this dual character&mdash;education as simultaneously empowering and controlling&mdash;this chapter argues that the relationship between schooling and social change is fundamentally shaped by the political and economic contexts in which learning occurs. The chapter concludes by reflecting on contemporary challenges, including digital inequalities and the commercialisation of schooling, and considers the conditions under which education can most effectively serve as a force for progressive social transformation.</p>