Education for a BETTER Tomorrow Ram Ramaswamy Earlier taught at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi New Delhi 110016 President, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore

Education for a Tomorrow Ram Ramaswamy Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi New Delhi 110016

Any Education plan needs a horizon of at least 50 years Any Education plan needs a horizon of at least 50 years. given the increased life-expectancy and the altered demographic, we should look forward to five decades of a productive life. Maybe more.

What should we look for in Education? Many traditions are being broken. The role of the teacher is changing very rapidly, particularly in the tertiary education sector. The availability of material on the internet, (especially via YouTube!) means that the classroom is losing its centrality.

What should we look for in Education? The instructor can be challenged very easily, therefore authority has to be earned every day. At the secondary level, this is less true, but it is probably just a matter of time. It is therefore all the more important that primary education be strengthened.

Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist, famously said A broad base Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist, famously said “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future”.

What will the world be like in 2065? A broad base What will the world be like in 2065? What will be the professions that will attract the youth? What professions will society need? Will there even be professions as we know them now?

A more equal place We need to continue along the trajectory of making our country a more equal society, a more just society, and one where there is equal opportunity and equal access. The responsibility for this rests primarily with the elected government. Education is one of the primary means of achieving these goals.

So what skills are essential? Essential skills If the events of the past few decades are anything to go by, it is clear that in a globalized world, information is widely accessible, and mobility is a given. Jobs can take people anywhere, and given the right circumstances, there is no necessary connection between training and profession. So what skills are essential?

Essential skills Primary education needs to be strengthened, especially focussing on learning skills. The future will increasingly belong to those who can teach themselves what they need, and the earlier that students learn how to learn, the more they will be able to apply these skills at a later stage.

Flexibility and adaptability Very specialized early training reduces flexibility. We need an adaptable workforce, but one that has essential skills. Technology – and we are just seeing the beginnings of how AI can change the occupation landscape – has to be factored in.

Flexibility and adaptability MOOCs. Online learning is just in the early stages of development. Entire professions will become extinct, and new ones will come up - hence the need to be both flexible and quick to adapt. It is an evolutionary game, and it will be a case of survival of the fittest.

Hands on Training: Nai Taleem Although Gandhiji’s experiment is largely forgotten at the present time, there is an important aspect that is easy to redeem: Let there be more hands-on experience at the primary and secondary levels: Our schools should be laboratories of learning. This is an investment that will pay for itself many times over.

Integration with society How many metallurgists does the state of Odisha need? Or neurologists? Or dance instructors? Or engineers?

Integration with society Unless we, as a society, answer some of these questions seriously, education will be a free- for-all, with a vast overproduction of “trained” personnel in some areas, and a glaring deficit in others. Engineering colleges are closing down since society does not need more such engineers. But the market should not determine our educational directions.

May you live in interesting times This ancient Chinese curse is appropriate for our society- in fact for the world at the present juncture… Education is an investment in the future. And in the best case, it is an investment in the distant future.

Live as if you will die tomorrow. Learn as if you will live forever Live as if you will die tomorrow. Learn as if you will live forever. M K Gandhi

Thank you