Change In Global And Indian Education Landscape

The current situation of education in the world is similar, is experiencing a paradigm shift and technology is playing a crucial role. Unlike its prevalence erstwhile, mainly in some developed countries and certain upscale localities of India, digital learning or e-learning has now become the norm. Even for those who are ill-equipped for it, this is the only possible way to resume education. In this situation, most teachers and educators have discovered, and perhaps even invented, newer avenues of virtual teaching. Although it may seem like education is taking a sudden leap into the future, it is nonetheless, a necessary leap that was in the making especially to create more future-ready citizens.  

The Government of India recently announced a New Education Policy that will potentially change the way education is seen and received in the country. On one hand, the Policy stresses on Liberal Arts education in colleges and universities, and on the other hand, it emphasizes on the need for young minds to become more familiar with Data Sciences and Digital Learning. This indicates a desire to be more holistic in the approach to educating, reflecting a desire that is becoming more and more common globally. Gone are the days when STEM was seen as separate from Humanities, and vocational education was seen as the most lucrative. In the current, swiftly-changing landscape of education, the ideas of “multidisciplinary” and “interdisciplinary” education are becoming more prominent.  

Noted philosopher and educationist, John Dewey was of the opinion that “Education is not the preparation of life. Education is life itself”. These words of Dewey may sound far-fetched but the new global vision of education tries to imbibe this philosophy in the transforming pedagogy. For example, the concept of Reality Pedagogy, where the prevalent environment of the student is taken into consideration while imparting education, focusses on the overall growth and coping-skills of the learner. Similarly, Project Oriented Guided Inquiry Lessons (POGIL) encourage the students to use their own reasoning and approach while unravelling the lesson, with guided inputs from the teacher along the way. This method gives the learner more time and scope to comprehend the situation at hand and use their own acumen to solve it. The transformation of the education system in India is undertaking the use of such pedagogies to bolster the students’ practical knowledge and its application.   

Similarly, pedagogic methods like Flipped Learning and Blended Learning are being encouraged, especially in Higher Education Institutions. By allowing students to have control over how and when they chose to study, the new approach looks to create learners and not just students. The American educator, John Holt, an advocate of homeschooling and unschooling pedagogies, famously said, “Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners”. Through “institutional restructuring and consolidation” the New Education Policy aims to change the existing method of producing taciturn students into a system which creates more active, involved and informed learners. Hence, the Policy also stresses on life-long learning and learners. 

The remodelling of education during the pandemic has allowed for the realization of many pedagogic tools which were being ruminated on. It has also made education less exclusive and more open while unboxing the traditional approaches to teaching. Years ago, when Rabindranath Tagore had founded Shantiniketan and taught out in the open, he was seen as a dreamer. But today, the allowances that are being made in order to enable self-learning would have made him proud. Courses in the form of MOOCs are also enabling a more liberal approach to education. The arena of open-learning is finally being made truly accessible and encouraging learners to invest in their curiosities. The global community is closer than ever to each other and is becoming increasingly conducive to an international fraternity that can revolutionize education in the near future which is being graciously looking forward as a heralding dawn especially in India.  

Dr Niranjan Hiranandani

Guest Author The author is Provost of HSNC (Hyderabad Sind National Collegiate) University "Sincerity and commitment to consistent efforts is the recipe to achieve success and great heights." This quote very aptly sums up Dr Niranjan Hiranandani’s ‘Magic Mantra’. Best known as a visionary and Industry think-tank; achieved another milestone in his professional life - his thesis on real estate has resulted in the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management conferred on him. He recently had sworn in as National President for NAREDCO. A business leader with the desire to rewrite India’s real estate story, Niranjan Hiranandani is arguably, India’s ‘builder extraordinaire’, the person credited with changing Mumbai’s skyline. A qualified Chartered Accountant, he has virtually revolutionized the real estate industry in the country.