Teaching and learning have to keep pace with demand for innovation and skill requirements. A peek into the future suggests a substantial change to our education system.
Our education system, by 2030, would respond adequately to the expectations of a fast-changing society, a growing economy and an ever-advancing technology. On the one hand, there will be increased demand for affordable, equitable and qua-
lity education at both school and college levels. The need for skill-based training for gainful employment and entrepreneurship will be high. On the other hand, there will be revolutionary changes in content and delivery methods to keep pace with the needs of the new economy.
Investment in education should be at least six per cent of GDP and one per cent of this should be available to support science education and scientific research. The vision for education in 2030 should look far ahead seeking emerging educational opportunities and offer creative innovations. There is an urgent need for assessment of future possibilities to make informed choices for setting better, futuristic educational policies. In 2030, those who are beginning primary school today will start their professional careers and those in secondary school today will form the core group of prime working age.
A PEEK INTO THE FUTURE
The methods adopted for teaching and learning will undergo reform. While face-to-face teaching will continue, it will take the form of interaction and investigation. Home education may replace schools. We may see a uniform education system across the world. Due to urban congestion and global warming, government and employers will make it very attractive for more parents to telecommute, which will increase the number of children homeschooled with the aid of Tele-education and virtual schools.
Technology-enabled learning and online education will become more dominant. Countries will recognise human teachers with higher status and higher pay. The teachers will act as mentors and be a source of inspiration for life and learning.
An emerging trend is the infusion of humanities and social sciences in all fields of knowledge. The diversity and content of these areas will grow exponentially. Every engineer, doctor or lawyer, will have substantial exposure to economics, history, sociology,environmental studies and psychology. There are infinite possibilities: An engineer or doctor may wish to study law and an economist may like to acquire a degree in sciences. Existing professional institutions such as engineering colleges will slowly disappear, giving way to skill-based innovation centres.
STUDIES CONDUCTED TO PREDICT TRENDS
A Delphi study involving 213 experts, conducted in 2007, on “Education and Learning Possibilities by the year 2030” in South Korea, is relevant even today. The study attempted to obtain estimates of the likelihood that the possibilities would be realised by 2030.
The research found that web 17.0, integrated life-long learning systems, chemistry for brain enhancement, just-in-time knowledge and learning, use of simulations and use of public communications to reinforce pursuit of knowledge would be most likely (> 70%).
According to a more recent study in 2015, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), “Education 2030. The Future We Want,” there will be increasing demands on schools to prepare students for more rapid economic and social change, for jobs that have not yet been created, for technologies that have not yet been invented and to solve social problems that have not been anticipated. It suggests that the importance of learning progressions and a life-long learning continuum needs to be understood.
METHODS AND TOOLS
The South Korean study also identified techniques and tools that are likely to emerge by 2030. They found that learning and education could be integrated into movies, games and music. Brain imaging can be used to fine-tune teaching by actually testing what modes of teaching work best. Developments in research of mental techniques like hypnosis, suggestion and extrasensory perception would bring revolutionary improvements in human learning capacities. As access to the internet would become one of the global development goals globally, right to equal access to information would become a worldwide, recognised human right. By 2030, knowledge might be unified in one universal knowledge base in the form of modular units with a management tool so that every student could download what they need.
By 2030, universal translators will make education international and global. AI-based software and devices would recreate, interpret and analyse extinct languages. History, Archeology, Egyptology, etc., would be buoyed by this technology and it would enhance clarity on issues and facts not yet understood by the earlier generation. Virtual Reality simulations will extend to learning history in simulated, historically accurate settings. Social simulations will guide political decisions. Live television brainstorming sessions with open participation from the audience would come to pass.
INDIAN SCENARIO
The occurrence of the anticipated educational trends may be slower in India than in other countries due to its diversity, low starting point and limited resources of money and materials. The absence of coherent educational policy at the state and the Central level is a deterrence to change. The existence of a large segment of profit-oriented educational institutions makes it difficult to bring about revolutionary changes. The tendency on the part of governments to reduce their responsibilities for education is unfortunate. Despite such adverse prognosis, global dynamics would force substantial changes to the dynamics of Indian education system.
