People are talking about education in many different contexts. The education catastrophe that has once again been diagnosed is followed with predictable regularity by education summits organised by politicians. Last but not least, the focus of interest is on education reforms and the billions to be distributed (if the money is available …). But education? What do we really understand by that? At least schools and universities are – still – regarded as educational institutions. The strategy papers of the latter, however, are written in a marketing language for which education is a non-existent word. Is education therefore simply “an empty phrase” (Konrad Paul Liessmann)?