The Sunday Feed
The future trends in Education
Alvin Toffler the author of Future Shock said, “the illiterate of the twenty first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
I have always been a great advocate of formal training. It not only gives you a head start but also makes you aware of the various challenges that lie in the field.
Like everything else, even the education industry is always speaking to us through trends. Whether you are a parent, a college or a university, it is up to you to understand the messages and decipher it.
Let’s have a look at some trends that are being spotted in the industry:
1. Parents in overdrive mode — “Let me help you with the homework”
It seems the parents have found a new way to keep themselves busy by throwing themselves completely at the children.
It might look right at the beginning but there is a major threat lurking underneath. Over exposure might put the children off and they will look for an escape to never come back!
Seems like the parents have found a new tool to handle their mid-life crisis. Little do they know that if they overdo it, the parent-child relationship will explode before its due date!
2. Student Wellbeing — “I want to know everything you do on the internet”
Social media is anything but social. The only people you find galore are scammers trying to extract a dollar out of you. They have solutions for all your problems.
However, the real threat is not a few dollars you lose but the damage net can cause by prematurely exposing the child to platforms that are very dangerous and utterly detrimental for their mental wellbeing.
The schools should develop a system where they are keeping an eagle eye on the daily activities of every child. It might seem a little daunting at first but I believe it is inevitable.
3. Complexity in education — “Things were simpler in our days”
Someone very nicely said that people should not be in a rush to grow up because it’s a trap. It’s only after you grow up, you realise that life is not as sweet as you would have liked it to be.
And as you age, the only 2 things that seem to increase in time are muscle stiffness and uncertainties. Sometimes, both seem to compete with each and other.
Our ancestors have gone through this phase and so they designed education to mitigate the uncertainties of life by equipping the child with proper education. Well this system did work for more than a century but now it seems to be losing its gloss.
The reason is that you are quite uncertain as to what will be in demand and what will be outdated. Welcome to the new world my friend because if you think this is all there is to it then you haven’t seen anything yet.
Having said that, I think there is nothing to worry. It’s just that you might end up doing many more specialisations because your work will be split up. To give an example, you might be a chef on Monday and Tuesday, an IT professional on Wednesday and Thursday and an Uber driver on the weekend. Not to mention the side hustle to get the extra cash!
4. Parallel University — “Make a video, I will watch it when I feel like”
When a person thinks he or she knows everything and there is nothing left to explore, then that is the day the person’s downfall will start to accelerate.
But there is again a big dilemma whether to go for short snappy courses or large degrees and masters. Well both are right depending on where you are in life. If you have just finished your year 12, it is a good idea for pursuing a diploma or a degree.
The key reason is that it easy to go with the flow. However, once the rhythm is broken, it is difficult to get back in action. Ask people who had to come back to the colleges after a huge gap.
However, if you have a masters and a decade of experience then going back to the university might not be a good idea due to the work and family pressures. Instead you can look at doing short courses on platforms like Udemy.
The trainers are excellent and come with a lot of practical knowledge, all compressed in training courses that can be completed in just a few days. A lot of these trainers are not in for the money but for the sheer pleasure of teaching and spreading the knowledge.
If you are what you think you are then I am a student for life. Always eager to learn! Even if it means reading about 10 articles everyday!
John Khalkho: CEO — Dolores Education
Photo Andrea P on Pexels
