DailyPost 1119
FUTURE OF EDUCATION
That the education did not change for decades because of the incremental nature at the max of the business change and skills required. The disciplines were nearly static and there were times when father and son, if from the same discipline could discuss the same topic with the same elan but for some failing memory of the father. Even the initial days of the computer age did not show any signs of an exponential change and people had the time to switch gears and most of the industries and Human Resources were able to make the change.
With computation being the core of the present of the present age to automation with ever flowing fuel of data, the magic is for everybody to see. Moore’s law is not ready to give time to the educational institutions. The four years BTech degree is a considerably long period for them. Even then they don’t get the resources of their choice. They can provide the specialisation they require in three to six months. The rigmarole of industry communicating the requirements and the academic world taking its own sweet time to create such products didn’t work out.
The technology life cycle does not match with the curriculum life cycle. Desperate attempts have been made to start their own universities at the best or at least state of art training centers to take care of their needs. The manager becomes the professors. The R&D fellow of the domain becomes the ultimate trainer / professors so to say. The Computer Science BTech degree gets outdated in three years.
The teachers are outdated and need to back schools themselves. Are they left with the capability to make this change at the pace demanded and then deliver to the students. Whatever may be the modalities, the students have to go in for problem based learning solving the hard problems of life under supervision of the Professor. It needs to be immersive, spending long durations of time looking for and finding solutions. This has to happen with the simulation of live trials and changing situations, long and enriching engagements. These learnings would create immensely employable products.
FUTURE OF EDUCATION IN INEXTRICABLY TIED WITH THE FUTURE OF WORK.
Sanjay Sahay