Education In Post-Pandemic Era: Piyush Singh Chauhan Shares Three Point Approach To Future-Proof Education

The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic shook up our regular ways of "imparting education" and has pushed educators, students and even parents to their limits.

Around 250 million children and their families were adversely affected due to pandemic. (Representative Image/ Getty)

The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic shook up our regular ways of "imparting education" and has pushed educators, students and even parents to their limits. Though it opened up new possibilities, but at the same time revealed deep inequities in the current education landscape. However, letting bygones be bygones, it's time to get back to normal. But what is the new normal? 

A study reveals that around 250 million children and their families were adversely affected due to closure of school and other educational institutes due to lockdown imposed by the government amid rising cases of Coronavirus across the country. Education system faced several challenges to transition from traditional in-person learning to an online ecosystem, especially in rural parts of the country.

Speaking about both immediate and longer-term solution to future proof education landscape and make it relevant with new jobs and demands of the market, Piyush Singh Chauhan, Vice Chairman of SR Group, Lucknow shared his vision and said that a better educational future may be inspirational and optimistic, however, what we really need is "future proof" education.  

Elaborating what "future proof" means, Chauhan said, "The term was coined by leading cognitive science expert Paul A. Kirschner aims to provide a valuable and much-needed alternative to pursuing holistic '21st century skills' or embracing competency-based student graduation standards. The best way forward amidst the uncertainty is simple: set aside the '21st century skills' in favour of the acquisition of deep life long values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to continue to learn in a stable and enduring way in a rapidly changing world."

"The world is changing and so must our instructional practices. Our moral obligation is to equip this generation with the content and abilities they will need to handle an unpredictable future and thrive. Doing so may be our most important educational task as leaders," he said.

The education expert also shared a three-pointer approach to future proofing education system in the coutry. 

He said, "First we have to lay the building blocks by instilling deep moral values. They act like roots. If a child is morally equipped, he can face any uncertainty with grace. Second, help children develop higher-order thinking and working skills. Third, assist them in tackling bigger problems that require metacognitive competencies and skills."