7 PM Editorial |Reimagining ‘Education for All’ with digital technology| 5th September 2020

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Reimagining ‘ Education for All’ with digital technology

Overview – COVID-19 and the opportunity to reshape our future in education.

Introduction:

COVID-19 has disrupted all aspects of life. However it also provides an opportunity to ponder and prepare for the future. India’s digital education, with a 5000 year old history, has incorporated many changes into the teaching approaches because of the pandemic. The one thing that has not changed is the intent of the teachers to share their wisdom, enlighten the students with relevant lessons, ignite their tender minds and unleash their quest for knowledge.

What are the changes that the teachers have brought in?

1. Many are using augmented reality to impart lessons. For example, a village of Kerala experimented with Augmented Reality to impart lessons in Science and Social Studies during the covid-19 pandemic.
2. Also many are taking a lead in adopting new ways. Teachers  who had shaped lives with chalks and pens in school were patiently delivering the discourse through digital platforms, as seamlessly as possible.

The pandemic has been a great opportunity to spread the boon of  digital education far and wide with minimal resources. However this is also the time to prepare for the future battles so that they can be won with the right combination of attitude, talent and technology.

How do we prepare for the future?

To power India’s ascend in the global growth path, we need to reassess our  education strategy to maximise the potential of our large talent. This can be achieved through the following ways.

1. Digital technologies need to be incorporated to deliver lessons to students. It can be harnessed to enable remote learning for students across all age groups
2. The teachers need to be trained to become better educators.
3. The youth of the country need to be mobilised by offering them customised learning courses that are tailored to complement their capabilities, skillsets and employability needs.
4. Also in addition to hard skills, more emphasis should be given to cognitive and soft skills.
5. A transdisciplinary learning approach will help in building resilience and improving adaptability.
6. Peer-to-peer, peer-to-teacher and group discussions are some great ways to foster learning over digital platforms.
7. Using 3D Visualizations, simulations, prototyping and AR/VR based training can be used to strengthen technology skilling which is imperative in moving forward.

Education digital is a great leveler that can help drive economic and social equality. Thus, efforts must be made so that all learning practices and outcomes are aligned with the jobs of the future. Industry and academia are already collaborating to develop market-ready curriculum with adequate interactive learning resources and assessments

Conclusion:

A teacher is like a guiding light who will help us navigate through the continuous process of learning, unlearning and relearning in our lives. This pandemic has been a great teacher to us – helping us prioritise our needs, assess our strengths and also teaching us alternative ways of living our lives.

Source: Livemint

Mains Question:

1. The pandemic has disrupted our normal lives, but it also provides an opportunity to bring in changes that we desire in our education digital strategy. DIscuss the changes that are required.