New World Order in Education

Corona was just a trigger of the final tipping point. The end was inevitable. It was a forgone conclusion! The hypothesis was written long ago when silicon chips initiated the miniaturisation process. The world didn’t even realise when One megabyte computer weighing few tons, requiring a room to fit in changed from desktop to laptop to palmtop and has now metamorphosed onto embedded chips performing calculations, data synthesis along with communications at the tip of our fingers or our voice commands.

The app based platforms on the smartphones have now blurred the boundaries between work and leisure, social life and office, government and private enterprises and above all between the virtual and real worlds.

Millions of jobless claims in USA, shutting down of extensive economic activity in Europe, Russia and even in developing countries like India was not only due to Corona crisis but was a manifestation of the change that was sweeping the civilization from early 2k. It was neither the K bug, nor the technological advancements which had shaped the third wave, but the communications revolution brought about with the advancements in broadband internet and space technology which combined with rapid technological developments to create a world which was much different in which the generation of 1990s was born in.

The rude shocks of Corona and sudden technological disruptions brought in a tectonic shift in the manner we viewed our jobs, education, technology and our lives. There was a sudden realisation that the days of erstwhile stable systems and secure jobs were over. The over reliance on industrial age skills and education suddenly put millions out of jobs and the world is staring at the greatest recession ever. There were however jobs which not only survived in this torrid period, but also thrived. Pharma, wellness, e-commerce, video-conferencing, drones etc are few of the starts of this adversity which people considered as necessary for living. The future belongs to these living necessities along with evolving technological jobs in data sciences, machine learning, Full stack development, Project management, investment banking or management consulting.

This world has now changed forever. It will never be the same again. The humanity has realised its follies at a huge cost – millions of lost lives, livelihoods and hopes. The economic shocks may get recouped in few years, but the psychological and emotional stains will remain for long - at least a life span for the present generation.

The industry, the governments, the education systems and the world would have to evolve to survive. This evolvement necessitates growth both in tune with nature and technology. It has been aptly realised that the education and skills imparted by present system of learning are ineffective to undertake next generation jobs. In fact, it made the most literate to feel like a novice while handling the evolving technology. Gen Alpha if educated in present educational system would invariably find that the jobs for which they worked hard for years no longer exist in their employment age.

It’s not your IIT or IIM degree which will provide you job guarantee or security in future, but your cognitive and socio-behavioural skills which will be the grace saviours for next generation. Its imperative to recognise the cognitive skills necessary to survive in future and learn means of imbibing them for the present generation of children and adults.

A revolutionary and comprehensive model of education for next generation needs to be developed in line with our great ancient wisdom and knowledge. The learning for living needs to supplement the learnings of life.

The present system of schools needs to be replaced by learning centres which will focus on imbibing necessary socio-behavioural skills along with targeted knowledge of other disciplines like maths, science or humanities. There will be no schools, no teachers and no teaching in these learning centres. It will be just mentoring for ingraining socio-behavioural skills via means of open interactive learning superimposed by high tech simulations by latest gadgetry as per the skill level and aptitude of a person.

My book – ‘Learning to Unlearn’ is a guide for those who want to not only embrace but also thrive in the future. This is also a wakeup call for governments and industry to change the direction of their efforts and focus on the real education rather than on rote learning. The future wealth of the nations will not be measured in terms of GDP but by the knowledge possessed by its populace.

If India can take the lead and re-set its educational system before the world catches up, the time is not far when we will once again resume our role as the ‘fountainhead of wisdom”. 

https://notionpress.com/read/learning-to-unlearn