How can we make educational systems adapt to address the needs of tomorrow?

Question

How do we make it more inclusive, accessible & attract the right minds for the right disciplines?
The educational system in any country is both a social and economic necessity. However it is also a system that is not easy to change. The impact of any changes takes a long time to realize. The current economic growth, both at local and global levels, has created a huge demand for resources with various skills and capabilities. But the question remains - are we doing enough, are we doing the right things?

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Answer 1

Education is true answer for today’s needs of the industry as well as people and society. As the factor that impacts social and economical face of the country, education system must change from time to time. It is a fact that our education system requires total re-hauling and that calls for a champion from top people in government with all sincerity and budget allocation.

Before we discuss what steps to be taken to reform the system, I would like to advise that education should become a centre subject for governing and regulating purpose and be removed from the state subject.


Some of the moves that can be initiated to reform the education system are as follows:

1. Primary education should be standardized and made it compulsory with total government funding. No private organizations should be allowed at this phase of education.

2. Secondary education can be offered both by government and private institutes. However, it should be standardized across the country without boundaries.

3. Higher education should be imparted by autonomous institutes that work under the guidance and control of educators, citizen’s bodies and industry. Curriculum should be designed by these combined group to make students industry-fit depending on the discipline they choose.

4. Higher education should aim at developing human resources that are ready to take up tasks assigned by their employers. That means, a student graduated from a university should be able to get into a job and be able to work with minimal training by the employer.

5. All teachers at secondary and higher levels of education should attend seminars to update their knowledge levels to match current trends. They should be even asked to take qualification tests to substantiate their capabilities and current knowledge.

6. The compensation to the teachers at secondary and higher education levels should have an incentive component to encourage them updating their knowledge and also impart education in the recommended standards. Industry could sponsor such initiatives and government should encourage industry.

7. The current practice of a 3 hour examination at the end of a full year of study is not only meaningless, but also produces useless graduates. The examination system to award certification has to be changed totally. It has to be a combination of on job and class room tests conducted at frequent intervals.

8. To help students taking up higher education, a public information system should be provided to advise them and counsel them on the opportunities available for such courses and compatibility of the individual to those courses. This will help bringing up right people at right jobs.

9. Industry should be able to use students on part-time jobs or summer job etc, thus helping the students financially and also giving exposure to real time industry before they are graduated. This will help producing people who can readily take up jobs on completion of their education.

10. It should be made mandatory for higher educational institutes to invite industry experts to visit and teach on critical subjects for a certain number of hours in each course.

Answer 2

Let me start with the famous saying: 'You Get what you Measure'.

My experience working (in providing Learning Programs) closely with many colleges across India in the past 18 months shows that the current generation of students have been wrong have got basic assumptions on How the Global Economic System Works, i.e their perceptions of this world doesn't quite match the reality.

There are quite a few reasons for this:
1. The educational system from which they are graduating is skewed towards getting the highest grades. This again has a relationship to the fact that many organizations (including many large IT companies) have a system where the selection & package is based highly on the grades scored & the institutions studied from.
2. The current generation of students were born on the edge/ beginning of the industrial/information age respectively(late eighties). So when they are seeing the world now which has made great technological progress in the past 10-12 years. So they have not experienced the dificulties one has when you don't have many tools like Computers, Mobile and ofcourse the Internet Broadband. So the passion to create is missing many times.
3. The Creators & Implementors of the Educational System have another issue of not understanding the changes required to be made the systems to adapt to the Information Age. The design & content of the Curriculum lags far behind with the needs of the day.
4. Then the Indian Government & the Business Leadership is not focussing enough to create the Infrastructure (Power, Transport & Water) for any region to Develop. We have to learn a lot from the Chinese on this. I can confidently predict the next Global Leader of the 21st Century is China, just wait for 5-10 years. Even the Americans have started acknowledging it.
5. No Country can sustain growth & leadership without Domestic demand for Mfg & Services. What is the demand for our domenstic s/w services vis a vis the exports?

I am currently working with the American Midle & High School Students in preparing to meet the Learning challenges and develop the Right Skills for the Right Job .

I call all these challenges as the Learning Challenges of the 21st Century. I think that all the Stakeholders viz. Govt., Educational Institutions, Industry and the Parents (we need to create a National Parent Teachers Association (PTA) as in USA)., should come to together and have a debate and then roll out a short term (pilot) and medium term plan to :Make the Educational Systems adapt to address the needs of TOMORROW.
Or else, as I aready see a new generation of students being created in India's neighbourhood, which shall lead the world's economy. Let's take a lesson from the Japanese on this: When you see a Successful Person, just copy his behaviour and you shall also be Successful.

I am currently the VP of Fusion Tutoring in Virginia & can be reached at [e-mail]

Regards

Praful Mayekar

Answer 3

The poor Illiterate falls to the same with out knowing what is what .The other options are not known to them . This is all about the embryology of Education. Now comes the question 1st part '' how to make our educational system to adapt " 2nd part " to address the needs of tomorrow " . When you think of adaptation human being adapts to any thing at any point of time under force . So put any kind of module of education the same will be taken up as the illiterate mass doesn't know the pros & cons . Now remains "the needs of tomorrow" . Tell me who decides the need ? The politicians, the persons like you or the person who will take up for self ? The Society gets influence from the neighbourhood so the need sholuld generate within for the same the basic eduaction is a must . Force the basic education to all child in the land and by the past of six years the question in the context will be addressed .

Answer 4

The other options are not known to them . This is all about the embryology of Education. Now comes the question 1st part '' how to make our educational system to adapt " 2nd part " to address the needs of tomorrow " . When you think of adaptation human being adapts to any thing at any point of time under force . So put any kind of module of education the same will be taken up as the illiterate mass doesn't know the pros & cons . Now remains "the needs of tomorrow" . Tell me who decides the need ? The politicians, the persons like you or the person who will take up for self ? The Society gets influence from the neighbourhood so the need sholuld generate within for the same the basic eduaction is a must . Force the basic education to all child in the land and by the past of six years the question in the context will be addressed .

Answer 5

The poor Illiterate falls to the same with out knowing what is what .The other options are not known to them . This is all about the embryology of Education. Now comes the question 1st part '' how to make our educational system to adapt " 2nd part " to address the needs of tomorrow " . When you think of adaptation human being adapts to any thing at any point of time under force . So put any kind of module of education the same will be taken up as the illiterate mass doesn't know the pros & cons . Now remains "the needs of tomorrow" . Tell me who decides the need ? The politicians, the persons like you or the person who will take up for self ? The Society gets influence from the neighbourhood so the need sholuld generate within for the same the basic eduaction is a must . Force the basic education to all child in the land and by the past of six years the question in the context will be addressed .

Answer 6

Education here is as primitive as it was since last 50 years. People claim to have been educated but the illiterate hue is still seen in their activities .Every single person on this land is inquest of some job to fill the stomach . Taking the perimeter of this hunger the Politicians play their cards to modify or formulate the educational pattern . The poor Illiterate falls to the same with out knowing what is what .The other options are not known to them . This is all about the embryology of Education. Now comes the question 1st part '' how to make our educational system to adapt " 2nd part " to address the needs of tomorrow " . When you think of adaptation human being adapts to any thing at any point of time under force . So put any kind of module of education the same will be taken up as the illiterate mass doesn't know the pros & cons . Now remains "the needs of tomorrow" . Tell me who decides the need ? The politicians, the persons like you or the person who will take up for self ? The Society gets influence from the neighbourhood so the need sholuld generate within for the same the basic eduaction is a must .

Answer 7

Taking the perimeter of this hunger the Politicians play their cards to modify or formulate the educational pattern . The poor Illiterate falls to the same with out knowing what is what .The other options are not known to them . This is all about the embryology of Education. Now comes the question 1st part '' how to make our educational system to adapt " 2nd part " to address the needs of tomorrow " . When you think of adaptation human being adapts to any thing at any point of time under force . So put any kind of module of education the same will be taken up as the illiterate mass doesn't know the pros & cons . Now remains "the needs of tomorrow" . Tell me who decides the need ? The politicians, the persons like you or the person who will take up for self ? The Society gets influence from the neighbourhood so the need sholuld generate within for the same the basic eduaction is a must . Force the basic education to all child in the land and by the past of six years the question in the context will be addressed .

Answer 8

How do we make it more inclusive, accessible & attract the right minds for the right disciplines?
The educational system in any country is both a social and economic necessity. However it is also a system that is not easy to change. The impact of any changes takes a long time to realize. The current economic growth, both at local and global levels, has created a huge demand for resources with various skills and capabilities. But the question remains - are we doing enough, are we doing the right things?

Answer 9

I get this eerie feeling that my answer is going to be preachy-and possibly (and rightly so?) considered impractical.

We are not doing too many things right today.

We do not plow back the best of the breed into the education system. We do not encourage practical/application oriented learning over theoretical teaching.

Our average student is lazy, our average teacher is lazier.

But we end up doing better than average in the adult world. (That alone should prove the existence of God.) But we could do better. We could fast forward the pace of development and growth if we start where we should-right at the beginning. We can get the basics right; if our biggest asset is human resource, lets add quality to the quantity. And lets get India somewhere near the top of the list that I think REALLY matters- the human development index (HDI) in the World Bank Human Development Report.

See, I said I’d get all idealistic. Regardless, let me try answer Nandan’s ‘adapting educational systems to address the needs of tomorrow’ question. Here are my two pence.

3+1 Levels of Change Management

I. Strategic
Effective intervention can be induced only top-down. The UGC, AICTE et al need have a thorough review with benchmarking of the different levels in our education system. We definitely need to have a basic benchmarking exercise against a nation with a high social indices rating. (I’m not sure if this is not being done yet.) This will generate the thought leadership and concepts of what is to be done, and how.

II. Tactical
The administration (that should basically mean the education ministries at the centre and in the states) should evolve a detailed action plan that shows (a) revision of syllabi and (b) timely updating of the same. (This process plan is to be conceived and conceptualized by the strategic level.)

III. Operational
These are the doers (the teachers, the headmasters, the professors, the principals, the governing bodies, the boards, the administration) who will ensure that on a day to day basis, pedagogy makes an effort to stay in line with the latest in education and other spheres. For this to happen, I believe, teachers need to learn - learn more and learn faster than the taught.

+I: Feedback Loop
The custodians of the process shall be the end consumers-the students. Only through an effective student-parent collaboration that ensures change is conceived, percolated and implemented can we establish ownership and control over this dream state of being.

Well then, that’s easier said. But change is inevitable, and certainly not impossible. Here’s to a better system of education-whenever!

Answer 10

This is only because we have the theoretical knowledge which is the result of in house training.If we get enough opportunity ,which may be possible if the corporate world and the education system form a strategic partnership so that the students get enough experience before they really join an industry.They would have the feel of the real world and would know what it's really like out there.This would help them prepare themselves mentally and progress towards the right direction rather being uncertain and being confused about variety of choices.It would be a sort of automatic screening or say a filter process where only the right people will remain at the right places when they are required the most.This will help to fill in the vacuum when we are faced with a dearth of professionals and sort out the problems that lie long with the corporate contingent of finding the right people when they are needed the most...and most importantly with the minimum input of resources.This way we only need to modify the system,We don't have to look for drastic changes.

Answer 11

Sir, I recommend that you take a tour of Yahoo answers and see for yourself that so many people are asking the same question. The answer, even if I or anybody else give cannot be implemented overnight. You just choose the best answer, and then everything is forgotten.
If you are reading this, then I would like to look at the following points:
1) Even if this country is producing the best talent pool in the world, did you ever wonder why?.. this is because when the population of this country is increasing at such an alarming rate, we will have good talent pool, whenever we want anyway
2) Ask any student, "Did you sit through the exams without any tension at all?" and you will be given a wild stare. Did you ever try this?.. I don't think so. because you already know the answer.
3) Students from grade 5 upwards are drilled with such syllabus that they can hardly understand. They are forced to attend tuitions in addition to schools. What do you think will be the standard of such kids when they grow up?.. They recite all the answers like a tape-recorder.
4) Why do you think that the suicide rate is high among the students?. Simple answer is that they could not handle their mistakes in a proper way.
5) Why do you think that admissions to colleges, as a student grows gets tougher and tougher?..

If you seriously went through the above points, you will be aware that what kind of 'resources' the country is producing. The best talent of the country [IIT] goes to the foreign nations and even that talent is wrung up by the strict guidelines of institutions. And lastly what you get from there students is just the mugged up answers, so drained away with all the creativity, and Human essence. That's why, the country is so backward in research and Technology.
All that today's youth thinks is about money. Students study keeping money in mind. I am afraid to tell it, but this is what education is all about in this country.
If you honestly want to improve the education of this country, then ask the students themselves. They will come up with better solutions, than the research committees set up for that very purpose.
Thank you.