"Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education." wrote the famous British philosopher Bertrand Russell in his much acclaimed book, A History of Western Philosophy. While observing the developments that are happening in our country especially in the field of education, one feels that this quote is very much applicable for our education system.
It is often said that our country is set to become the youngest country in the world by 2020 and there is a great pool of talent that are coming out from the universities. But many questions arises; How qualified are our youth? Do they know about the rapid changes that are happening around the globe? Are they really capable of bringing a change in the society? Do they realize that they are simply acting as cogs in the great economic engine? Let us look in to these questions more deeply and try to understand some of the factors that ails our education system.
Standardization
The introduction of public schooling system was started during the age of industrial revolution. That was the time where most of the rural societies became industrial and urban. Big industries needed individuals who are capable of performing repetitive tasks to work in their assembly lines of production. But a lot has changed through the ages. Now a days the industrial systems are getting automated and this idea of standardized talent is losing its importance. So there has to be a change in our education system and the future belongs a system that can be customized to meet the needs of this century.
Entrepreneurship
One of the problems of our education system is that there is a lack of appreciation for entrepreneurship. There has been a total neglect for entrepreneurship in education system. Barring a few institutions, most campuses have no ecosystem for entrepreneurship development. Businesses are the backbone of any country which aspire for economic growth. But the issue is that the parents and family members always push their kids towards pursuing a job. There is nothing wrong in aspiring for job security. But one must keep in mind that there cannot be a sustained supply of jobs in the country without a favourable ecosystem for entrepreneurs. So the educational institutions must focus on promoting entrepreneurial studies right form the elementary level. The studies must include the details about the creation of sustainable business models and how individuals can create a change in the society through businesses. Not only that, the lessons of challenges faced in a business environment and overcoming them must be taught. This kind of education is very important as far the growth of a nation is concerned.
Skill
What we are lacking is a system of skill based education. Since the world is driven by internet and technology, degrees are losing their value. If people want a job they need to develop right kind of skills. So it is very important to develop deep domain knowledge and the skills. Moreover the skills has to be updated. The change is so rapid and people needs to be educated about the skills that are relevant in the future. One can make use of the vast resources in the internet for acquiring the knowledge about those skills which nurtures creativity. The skills not only include technological expertise, but also the personality development and communication skills. This is because the companies will only hire those Individuals who are confident and articulate. If you want to achieve success, you need to express yourself clearly before any audience in the world.
Technology
This is the age of science & technology and is termed as the fourth industrial revolution. Any educational institution that does not teach encourage studies in the field of technology and how to make use of it is actually producing individuals that are disconnected from the world. They must teach students the subject of digital and various technological advancements such as big data analytics, block chain, artificial intelligence and robotics, Internet of Things etc. that are shaping the world. Also the students need to be trained to use the internet, particularly social media in proper way to engage with the world. Today most valuable and successful companies in this world are actually technology companies. They are always ready to hire highly talented and skilled manpower. So one must have knowledge about various changes that are happening in the field and acquire skills that are relevant for the times to come.
Practical learning
We all are used to sit in classes that are boring and keep thinking about the relevance of the subject. This is because our education system is not focusing on acquiring practical knowledge of subjects and the teaching methodology includes merely gaining information. It does not encourage experimentation. Most of the content used in curriculum have no practical application to a student's life. Because of that, the students can’t relate to what they are studying and they seems to be completely disconnected for the studies. This leads to lack of curiosity in the minds of students and also adversely affect their career. This has to undergo a change. The curriculum must give equal importance the practical knowledge along with theories. Only then, one can understand the subject deeply and develop advanced skills.
In conclusion, I must that that these factors need to be seriously considered by every government and organization while dealing with the education. As the saying goes, everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. So we need to develop an educational system in which every individual is blossomed to its ultimate potential. Proper implementation of holistic education is the need of the hour rather than announcements. No student must feel that he or she is left out. An educational system that fosters creativity, curiosity and is relevant to the times we live in is what our country needs.
