Vaibhav Kaushik, Co-founder and CEO of Nawgati shares his views on opportunities and challenges faced by the education system with Financialexpress.com.
What is the best thing about today’s education system?
Without a doubt, it’s the approach and methods of teaching. From a more traditional approach of teaching to an experiential one, the Indian education system has evolved a lot in the last 2 decades. Earlier the focus was on ‘what should the student learn’, however the focus has now shifted to ‘how should the students learn’ and what’s the impact of it. The schools that have the resources are trying to implement it by providing relevant practical experiences to the children.
What is the one thing you would like to change in the system?
While there is a lot of progress in experiential learning, there is still a huge gap in the overall curriculum and skill building. Skill learning has been in discussions at various levels, while there are special institutions that impart skill learning, and I believe that it should be taught from a very young age to make an individual more self-sufficient based on where the world is going. There is a huge competition in the current market, and with growing automation, having skills will add value to an individual in the coming years.
What is the role digital has played in the evolution of the education system?
Digital has facilitated education in certain ways, I believe it has also helped in evolution by making education more experiential. For example, in the recent developments medical students can now see through a 3D diagram of an organ to understand its functioning and know the impacts of if a surgery was done graphically, while earlier it was just all words and print on paper. The visualisation of what’s there on paper can help these students be better at their jobs and help save more lives by avoiding critical mistakes.
What has been the disadvantage of digital in education?
Everything has its sides, and so does digital. While adopting digital methods have enabled learning in depth, or learning at any time of the day, despite the location, it has created a psychological barrier. Things can happen online as and when, it’s easier, accessible, fast and flexible, but it is taking away the humanness out of everything. Classroom interactions with teachers and fellow students play a huge role in building confidence among students and help build lasting relationships – which are critical for human growth. Isolated experiences, due to digital classes can cause loss of bonding between peers, ultimately leading to unhealthy assumptions about self and society.
What is the career advice you would like to give to students?
A career advice to students is that whichever stream you choose, or job, or profession you want to pursue, try to engage and have conversations with teachers, fellow students, neighbours or even a fellow passenger. The new future will definitely encourage and appreciate your knowledge and skills, but knowing how to communicate will lead your way. It is the key to the coming times.