Shantanu Rooj, founder and CEO of TeamLease ed-tech shares his views on opportunities and challenges of the education system in India with FE Education Online.
What is the best thing about today’s education system?
Education system in India is undergoing a change, a revolution! National Education Policy 2020 is driving multiple changes in the structure of education thereby making it Credit Linked and Skill oriented. The system is being redesigned to offer qualification modularity with multiple entry and multiple exit pathways for learners. The system is using technology to bring in process automation, digitalisation and efficiency improvement; this shall drive accountability and shall help improve quality. There is also a concerted effort to make education available in one’s mother tongue to bring in true social inclusion.
What is the one thing you would like to change in the system?
Given an opportunity, I would like to emphasise on ‘accountability’ of the system. The education system is similar to any services industry – schools and colleges are service providers and students are the consumers of the service. Students go to a school with an expectation of service delivery – to learn – and that must happen to ensure that service is being delivered. Most students go to a college hoping it would work as a pathway leading them to their careers – and higher education must deliver employability to all that seek the same. Universities and colleges must look at partnering with employers and the industry to deliver higher employability to the learners.
What is the role digital has played in the evolution of the education system?
Technology can play an important pivotal role in supporting the education system. It can help automate routine processes and help improve efficiency of the staff; it can use data to bring in personalisation and differentiation in education; it can help teachers create various resources (study notes, question banks etc); it can help automate assessments and make them more intelligent; it can bring in flexibility by allowing anytime, anywhere learning; it can democratise education by removing geographical boundaries (one can study at any university without the need to travel there) and can also help bring down the cost of delivery of education! However, in spite of all the promises, technology has been used to a limited extent in most educational institutions so far.
What has been the disadvantage of digital in education?
It is important to realise that technology can’t replace a good teacher; but can help a teacher become more efficient and productive. Hence, improper deployment of technology would lead to disappointment and disengagement. It would be important to understand the right use of this important tool and should be appropriately deployed. It must also be realised that technology can be used to teach certain types of subjects and has its limitations in certain others; topics that require practical hands-on training can’t be replaced by its digital avatar.
What is the career advice you would like to give to students?
Driven by automation and various advances in technology, the future of jobs and careers is a bit uncertain. Hence, students must look at opportunities to learn and imbibe a variety of skills – both technical and cognitive. One must read vociferously and engage in multiple co-curricular activities to understand the values of teamwork, problem solving, logical thinking and effective communication. They must take every opportunity to learn practical work-place skills and upskill themselves through internships and apprenticeships; this will give them an opportunity to develop soft skills and create their own networks. Universities, these days, offer an innovative category of degree programmes – Degree Apprenticeships – that integrate Academic knowledge with Skill Building; it will be prudent to explore these new categories of programmes.