Future of Education

 

“Education is the foundation on which we build our Future”

What do you think about the present system of education? Do you think our present education system is delivering what it is intended to do? Is it doing justice to our dear children? Are we responsibly getting the next generation ready for our nation or for the world at large? Are we making them happy and joyful? 

Photo by Max Fischer

I am not quite happy with our present education system and I am sure that you would agree with me as well. Let us consider my school journey. I remember the time when I was studying in school. I used to take load of books and notebooks on my back as per class timetable. There were series of subject classes one after another where I was poured with tons of information on world affairs in which some part was given as homework. During periodic class tests, I used to cram that information and poured them on exam papers to get high marks. Doing this way, I was considered one of a very bright and smart students of the class. I was a 90-percentile student scorer during my school times. 

However, I am sure, in a year time, if I were to be re-examined on the same knowledge, I may not be able to get even 10% of the marks. As I further grew up, I found myself severely lacking in application knowledge. The idea of cramming my subjects in lower classes has boomeranged on me by not getting desired marks in higher education. At that time, I felt severely limited and depressed. 

Pic: karolina-grabowska-pixels

As I further grew up and entered professional life, I found myself severely lacking in skills which were required to succeed in professional life. I found myself struggling to cope with the changed requirements of professional life. As a result, I would not consider myself remarkably successful in my professional and personal life. I started with a promising future but turned out to be mediocre in my professional life. 

Now when I look back at the faintly remembered, hard earned knowledge of school days, I find scarcely any use of those things in my present life. Okay and even If I do not remember my past knowledge, but did I improve my mind power substantially? Has my mind become more sharp, more intelligent now? Maybe yes! But that increase in mind power has happened to a limited extent which I believe is not sufficient for my life. I still find myself largely incapacitated.  

What is the problem here? Where did I go wrong despite working hard and despite being a good student? Why many others who were of my age and who were not as smart as I were at the time, have turned out to be phenomenally successful while I am a mediocre and still struggling professionally.

Photo by Max Fischer from Pexels

Personally, I believe the main fault lies within our present and prevalent education system. The present education system prepares students for merely gathering knowledge. It believes in the fact that by thrusting knowledge inside young minds through textbooks, will not only be retained fruitfully for a longer time but also be helpful in making their mind sharper and more intelligent. Thus, the aim of our education system achieves a primary purpose of acquiring knowledge and then a secondary purpose, probably distant purpose, of training the mind.

In today’s world, knowledge is fast changing. What is relevant today, may not be so few decades later. Hence there is no point in feeding such large chunks of information mindlessly into the brains of our young kids. Additionally, the present-day mind training techniques with application problems and analysis issues are only single tracked which fails to explore and develop the wide avenues of a child’s mind power.

As Albert Einstein said we cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them. This means our mind needs to develop in a more holistic manner without restrictions. Each mind is a powerhouse which needs to be trained, nurtured, and systematically strengthened. The mind is like a fire which if mishandled can even burn the house but if disciplined, controlled, and regulated can bake a delicious meal for health and prosperity. Each child should be given freedom to learn at her own pace and to develop in her own direction. We, as parents and teachers, need to be patient and broad minded to let our children develop in their own pace while they experiment with their environment, adapt to it, and grow stronger. We need to be strong, patient and keep absolute faith in the process of nature which nurtures and educates the mind in unique way. Additionally, we need to be more tolerant and less judgmental towards the process of our children's mind development. We would need to come out of our limited fears about our child's survivability in present world.

Photo by Noelle Otto

Sir William George Jordan, who was a strong advocate of modern education system said, mind needs to be educated in the following four faculties to 1) Imagination 2) Memory 3) Perception 4) Intuition. Proper systematic mind training is vital for each child which prepares children to use their mind power creatively for any future challenges. In an article on future of American education by 2030, where it mentions that in future, education is more likely to be personalized based on where each child’s education will be done based on her aptitude, interest, and pace. The schools will move towards online education more taking the help of new technology and away from brick-and-mortar kind of schools. Parent will have more role in the upbringing of their own child.

Imagination, Memory, Perception, Intuition

Although, it details out the education system of the future but still it fails to address the point of a child's mind power development in a holistic and non-judgmental manner so that when the child grows up, he feels capable to adapt to new environment and become more confident, more controlled, more creative, and eventually happier in their life. This way, the nation will also get an army of new generation people who are confident of solving their own generational problems in a creative manner. I will end this article with the following quote.  

“The dilemma of our times is that the future is not what it used to be”