What are the Top 5 Things We Need to Do to Build the School of the Future in India 

 

The world is changing at a very fast space. We now live in a time which we would have never imagined 15 years back. The future undoubtedly will be turbulent, characterised by vulnerability, chaos and ambiguity due to accelerating change. In this time of uncertainty we need to overhaul our complete education system and following are a few points that a school needs to start working on, to be future ready:

  1. Digital Wisdom: Schools need to start working towards digitising their curriculum and think of innovative ways in which technology can be used as a tool and not to substitute a teacher or as a gimmick. Technology should not be about consuming content but more focused on creating with technology only being a tool to assist students. 
  2. Upgrading and retaining good quality teachers: It is very important to start developing skills in teachers to teach for the future. They would need to know how to use technology to teach children. So if schools are going to spend on developing teachers they need to make sure they are retained for a long time by defining a long term career path for them. 
  3. Collaborative Learning Spaces: Schools need to effectively use ‘Flipped classrooms’ where children learn the given topic at home and then come and have a constructive discussion in school. This creates a better learning environment and helps children learn collaboratively. The entire structure of school infrastructure needs to be re-imagined from looking like an industry conveyor belt to looking like a Google office!
  1. We need to relook why, how and what we are assessing our kids for. Boards need to turn their board exams upside down and do a total overhaul. 
  2. Personalised learning: We believe each child is different and each one has their own preferred learning style. So, learning should be personalised to maximise individual potential. Children should also have a choice on what they learn and when they learn as well as be able to control the pace of Learning. With technology all this becomes possible.