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Role of schools in changing times

Raghav Podar discusses what Indian schools can do differently for a better future.
Last Updated 02 August 2017, 18:50 IST

A World Bank study puts India’s spend on education at 3.3% of GDP. This ranks us at an unenvious 143rd position among 195 countries of the world; indicating that we don’t prioritise the value of good education as a nation. India’s massive diversity means that it is impossible to paint our education sector with one brush. The divide between rural and urban, rich, middle-income and poor is so vast that it’s not an easy job to fulfil the needs of all sections of the heterogeneous society we live in.

System & environment
Having spent weeks observing classrooms across Finland, UK, UAE and Singapore, I can safely say our Indian students have as much, or even more potential than their foreign counterparts. However, the education systems, teaching quality and pedagogical resources available to our students are far behind global standards. And this is not surprising when you compare school fees in India with that of the rest of the world.


The average annual private school tuition fees in the UK is £14,102 (Rs 11.8 lakh) and that in Singapore is between $25,000 and $45,000 (Rs 12 and Rs 21 lakh). This is supplemented by a robust public education system as well, which is less expensive. As the demands of the learning environment change, we find that a majority of cities in India are behind international counterparts when it comes to integrating the latest technologies to enhance learning outcomes of its students.
Next up would be recognising the evolving role of the teacher. In Finland, which known to be one of the top education systems of the world that many countries try to emulate, it is harder to become a teacher than it is to become a doctor or lawyer. Only 10% of the candidates who apply get selected to become a teacher.

The role of the educator in this scenario has moved from being the ‘sage on the stage’ who pontificated information to students, to being the ‘guide on the side’.

When we were growing up, we went to the teacher to receive information. Today, children can just go to Google to get all the answers. Teachers are no longer just information delivery processes. They have to move from being ‘gatekeepers of knowledge’ to being ‘facilitators of learning’.

The numbers we are dealing with
The children in school today will be living the majority of their adult lives 20 to 50 years from now. Schools are preparing children for their lives decades ahead, when none of us know what next year will look like. The uncertainty of the future is fascinating in the times we live in.


The top 10 most in demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. Schools are preparing children for jobs that don’t exist today, solving problems that aren’t even problems yet, using technologies that haven’t been invented yet!


The role of parents
As schools innovate, at least in the metros, we will find many parents who proclaim, “But I didn’t do any of this, and I turned out just fine.” Yes, that may be true, but you were growing up in a very different era, the resources available, and challenges to be faced by your children will be vastly different from what you had.


If we want to build more world class schools that are in line with global standards, we need to have the latest technology, learning environments and infrastructure to supplement teachers, who need to be the best minds of the country. Teaching needs to be an attractive career choice in India. Yet, if our narrative is centred around fee caps rather than quality assurance, and the government is unable to provide world-class quality in its government or municipal schools, the ones who stand to lose the most are our children.


Schools that are genuinely trying to create a better future by optimising the massive inherent potential of their children, should have the government, the media and the parents support as the wind beneath their wings!

To build the schools of tomorrow, we must sow the seeds today!
(The author is head, Podar Education Group)

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(Published 02 August 2017, 16:44 IST)

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