"To achieve futuristic education model, teachers need to be true researchers and transform classrooms into laboratories"

Onkar Bagadia, CEO, Vivekananda Global University, writes about how a futuristic education system can be created by bringing various factors together...

Policies form a major governing force in a country’s growth. It is a matter of pride for all of us to belong to a generation which is instrumental in formulating the New Education Policy (NEP). We are looking forward to the Government of India introducing a futuristic NEP to meet the challenge of changing dynamics of the population’s requirements towards education, innovation, and research.
The government aims to make India a knowledge superpower by equipping its vast youth population with the necessary skills and intellect to eliminate the shortage of manpower in science, technology, academics and the industry.

Environment for private institutions
In 2018-19, there was an increase in the budgetary allocation for this sector with a greater focus on the quality of education in schools and colleges. We are at a stage where the government ought to create an environment to attract more private players. By doing this the government’s aim of improving the quality of education and learning experience for students and making it available to one and all will be met.
Increasing professional courses and the digital commotion in both manufacturing and service sectors is transforming the job market. Our education system needs to focus not only on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), but also on career-oriented courses in schools and colleges to make the future citizens more equipped to face the globalized world.

A push for vocational education
We also look forward to an increase in the number of non-traditional students seeking to learn new skills to ensure growth in their careers. Vocational education will need a greater push with flexible degrees and competency-based programme certifications, which get recognized in the relevant industries and improve job readiness of the students.
Along with delivery tools, advance pedagogy methods are needed to equip students for life. Crossover learning in informal settings helps to link educational content with issues that matter to learners in their professional and personal lives.
To achieve the essence of this futuristic education model, the teachers need to be true researchers and transform their classrooms into laboratories. There is a need for individual faculty members to take up innovations in teaching and learning methods. Faculty members in each discipline, universities/colleges, and state/country need not to just adopt teaching practices that have been implemented and tested elsewhere, but rather adapt those methods for their own specific needs and constraints.

Need to teach differently
We need to explore opportunities for teaching differently so that students learn more, without sacrificing the content. As we all know, education plays an important role in improving the social fabric of the country. The transformation in the education sector beckons us in the near future and there are expectations from the government for bringing radical changes and earnestly pursuing reforms towards creating not just a skilled India but also a professionally competent and a truly learned India.
So, let us wake up to this dawn of a new education policy, arise to the new goals of the education system and achieve the spirit of a truly global India.