A ROADMAP TO AMRIT KAAL

IN A KNOWLEDGE-DRIVEN SOCIETY, THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IS KEY FOR ENSURING ECONOMIC VITALITY, HEALTH SECURITY AND THE OVERALL WELL-BEING OF HUMANITY. IN ORDER TO FULFIL THIS MANDATE, THE EDUCATION SYSTEM SHOULD BE ABLE TO INCULCATE CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVITY, COMPETENCY, COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

RAGHAVENDRA P TIWARI

Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda

Education ought to promote intelligence, and must focus on creative, emotional, social, environmental, ethical and spiritual quotients necessary for developing a well-rounded holistic citizenry and to make our graduates globally competent and acceptable.

Additionally, we need to prepare our youth ready to face a highly uncertain and volatile future. The rate of changes happening in various domains of human lives is outpacing the abilities of the present education system to respond adequately and appropriately. Thus, the education system is at an ever-increasing risk of becoming outdated. Students currently pursuing education shall have to perform such jobs which cannot be anticipated now. Moreover, future work profiles will require the use of those technologies which cannot be thought of at present. Thus, institutions are required to mentor youth to successfully perform those jobs which do not exist today using those technologies which are yet to be invented. Nearly half of the domain knowledge acquired during the first year of a four-year degree programme may become outdated by the time the students graduate. All this calls for reforming and re-strategising our mentoring goals and process for empowering youth to capitalise on the challenges and opportunities that the future has in store for them. This will also help reap the benefits of the demographic dividends of youthful Bharat.