Goa is one of the most literate states in India with a high-quality state education system and is home to several national institutes. For a population of just 1.7 million, Goa has eleven incubation centers, fifteen co-working spaces which rank as the highest per capita organised support system for knowledge-based ideation in the country. Goa also has institutes like IIT, NIT, and BITS, IHM, NVAOR – NIO.
How could new ideas influence education, its impact on life skills, and scoping of life? What is needed for Goa to establish itself as a laboratory for learning and education with the new objective: find better ways of upskilling Goa’s young population and find them gainful employment.
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If we look at skill development, predominantly Goa has been focused on skill development in cookery, housekeeping, carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and a few other vocational trades. Can entrepreneurship be the new way of life? As we all know, Goa is one of the leading states in both the tourism and food industries. Learning and knowledge gleaned from sectoral advantages can be used to fuel a start-up boom.
Sustainable learning models work where a selected group of students begin with e-learning the basics of entrepreneurship and understand their role. These students then take up social projects in the local area, volunteer with knowledge transfer to students of the poorer community, and build the ripple effect.
Top ideas so far
1. SMARTPHONE TUTORIALS
A “Happy to Help” a bunch of young, digitally-native volunteers to help senior citizens get onto the smartphone. Right from buying a smartphone if required, setting it up, a quick daily personal tutorial, making video calls, helping with wifi, internet, entertainment, news, taxi services, home deliveries, and so forth.
Many senior citizens are feeling cut off from friends and family and missing the human connection. The psychological curve of the virus is going to hit and stay for a while so we need to develop our senior citizen’s ways to cope with the aid of technology — Kiran
2. GOA INSTITUTE of DESIGN
It is essential that Goa builds a world-class design college that offers all emerging creative industries at one location while providing living and hostel facilities. The design college must include all fields of design including architecture, transportation, communication, graphic, landscape, sound and music, systems and design thinking, etc. A suitable land of at least 15 – 20 acres should be allocated for such a project — Manish
3. BIODIVERSITY EDUCATION CENTRES
These centers can be designed for collaboration between professional scientists and members of the general public of all ages, experience levels, and interests in nature. Citizen scientists can be anyone who is involved in nature whether catching butterflies, photographing landscapes, watching and surveying birds in your backyard or wildlife, local fishermen. They can help policymakers understand our climate, the health of our natural resources, and the quality of our wildlife habitats. The center should provide self-guided education activities and hands-on environmental programs to create an approachable bridge to the outdoors through natural spaces in the village. Participants of education programs develop a deeper connection to their environment as they learn about local flora, fauna, natural processes, and sustainability issues — Thomas
