As per UNICEF, the Indian education system is one of the largest in the world with more than 1.5 million schools, 8.5 million teachers, and 250 million children. However, not only do social and economic disparities deny inclusive and equitable quality to millions of children in the country, but our rather traditional curriculum also puts students at a disadvantage.
Visionet India’s MD and Global Head of BFSI Business, Alok Bansal says, “Considering the pace at which technologies and skill sets are developing across the world, our schools are not really equipping our students to be future ready. The Indian education system should gear up for digital acceleration as we are in the fourth industrial revolution with a renaissance unfolding in the field of technology. A child who starts his primary education today will graduate in the 2030s and the subjects that are being taught today would have become obsolete by the time he/she is ready for a career,” he adds.
Alok believes examination modules should focus on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) with an emphasis on logical reasoning and problem-solving and says, “A 2017 McKinsey Report states that by 2030, 20 to 50 million jobs will be based on information-technology services. The report foresees that in 10 years, 8 to 9 percent of the available jobs will be new occupations that are still unheard of. The need of the hour is to educate students about new technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) that are already being used widely in various industries.”
Alok refers to the US, where more than 40 states have recognized computer science as a major subject while countries like the UK, Australia, Malaysia, and Sweden are also expanding their computer science syllabus.
He concludes, “Some Indian schools are including AI in their syllabus for higher classes, but more schools need to offer a diverse and exhaustive digital education to give their students a shot at employability in the hyper-digital future.”
