Evolution of Education

In the evolution of education, we're speeding ahead in quantitative aspects, falling behind in qualitative ones – can we correct our course?

The evolution of education, like everything else, has been marked by compromises and growth. If we trace our roots, education has always held a significant place in our lives and we take pride in quality education and being mentored by a good guru. This has historically been an indicator of social classes, with the elite receiving the best education.

1.

In the Indian epic Mahabharata, Arjuna's archery skills were taught and honed by his guru (mentor) Dronacharya. Dronacharya was a renowned teacher and warrior who trained Arjuna, along with his brothers, in the art of archery and various other martial skills.

Eklavya and Karna, two talented and high-potential young archers, also wanted to learn archery from Dronacharya but were both refused. They both later became skilled archers through self-practice and guidance from other mentors.

In the past, good students would seek out good mentors, and it was considered a matter of pride if gurus accepted them as their mentees. However, in today's context, some teachers ask for payment via services like Bkash just to make ends meet. Moreover, today's students can sometimes display entitlement, expecting teachers to put in extra effort for a nominal fee, which can lead to unrealistic demands. Admittedly, many teachers these days may not possess the knowledge and skills of the gurus we read about in the Mahabharata.

In the past, gurus would teach a small group of 5-10 people in residential programs. No one would graduate until the guru deemed them ready. This teaching approach was more akin to shaping clay, iterative and results-oriented, rather than adhering to a fixed timeframe. Fast-paced learners were still recognized, but the learning pace was personalized, not one-size-fits-all. Tests and assessments were more like exercises, and passing them meant genuinely perfecting your craft, approved by a guru with high standards.

Since these programs were residential, mentees spent substantial time with the gurus, getting to know them on a personal level, understanding their philosophies, life choices, character, and techniques. This allowed them to understand the culture of knowledge-sharing.

With a limited number of learners, each student was treated as an individual with different learning styles, strengths, and areas for improvement. This enabled the guru to create different methodologies for different types of students, offering a completely bespoke approach to teaching. Education was more personalized and had more depth.

However, since the guru was the ultimate decision-maker, there was a risk of biased decisions, gatekeeping, and unfair judgment.

2.

With the increase in population, this utopian system became impractical. Educating more people within a specified timeframe, with a trackable system and without the inefficiencies of a small-scale residential program, became a necessity. This led to the emergence of traditional schooling with dormitories, with or without the residential option, along with the introduction of homework.

The quality of teachers somewhat declined as school authorities were responsible for hiring, focusing more on compliance, system stability, and cost-cutting than on recruiting exceptional teachers who might take their unique approach. This resulted in an overly rigid educational process.

Standardized tests were introduced, grades became the norm, and education became more theoretical. Graduates started seeking jobs with less physical stress. At that time, employees often worked long hours, given the evolution of work from slavery to factory workers and managers. However, this era required extensive manual labor, making it necessary to work 10-12 hours a day to make progress and run viable operations. Thus, education emphasized discipline, attendance, conformity, and produced more rule-followers than thinkers and questioners.

In this context, mass education proved effective and efficient, producing employable graduates at scale, with a measurable system that worked.

3.

With the rise of technology and automation, traditional schools lost some of their relevance. Employable skills shifted to more than just following rules and showing up. Loopholes in the system appeared, and the gap between industries and academia widened. The relevance of academia diminished in many fields as industries underwent rapid transformations through computers and machines. This gap left behind a meaningless certification system from a bygone era. With the internet's availability, live online learning platforms emerged. Recently, these platforms reached a saturation point, with numerous players vying for the dream of distance learning. People in remote areas still lack access to devices, the internet, and knowledge about whom to learn from.

In this stage of educational evolution, reaching the masses through technology, creating a certain amount of content, and onboarding teachers with more followers and other quantitative criteria became more important than qualitative aspects. Qualitative factors such as effectiveness, curriculum quality, content quality, interactivity, impact on learners' lives, employability, and contributing to learners' growth took a back seat. Learners already understand that online education emphasizes quantitative approaches, but this model prevails due to its perceived value, top-of-mind awareness, and the ability to measure scale and popularity. After all, numbers do not lie.

4. Live online classes are more effective but hardly scalable. Pre-recorded courses have the lowest retention and completion rates. It is evident that qualitative aspects are not being adequately addressed by these edtech companies. They are often not very entertaining, educational, engaging, or effective. Tutorials are the best use case for this type of content, especially for coding or software training—tech for tech.

Everything should evolve for the better, especially education, which deserves a revisit from policymakers and those in power. Education has changed over time, but it has primarily addressed quantitative aspects, which is quite alarming. Education, knowledge, and skills are directly related to people's life chances, technology, science, art, and everything that makes us human. We should seek ways to incorporate humane approaches into education through technology. Smart classrooms and VR could provide solutions. Let's explore these possibilities and bring back the powerful Gurukul experience into education through technology and modern-day thinking.

Onindo Ahmed

Author | Design Thinker

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