14 May 2020  |   03:13am IST

GOA CAN BECOME A NEW HUB FOR KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING: BOSTON OF THE EAST!

Goa can become a global creative village by smartly utilizing technology to help knowledge spread seamlessly across the state

Team Café

 

 

There was a need to upgrade

socio-economic systems even prior to the pandemic. This latest crisis is an opportunity to pause, reflect and think about where to focus attention and provide resources. The lockdown has created a huge impact in everyday behaviour and requires all the stakeholders of education industry to adopt to the new era. With technology and solutions growing in abundance, the real question to focus is how to decide what changes we want to see and adopt.

Despite a miniscule population of just 1.7 million, Goa can boast of a highly literate population and national level institutes like IIT, NIT and BITS, IHM and NIO.Yet the restrictions on setting up schools and education has led to clogged and mass manufacturing process of school education.

Smaller, boutique schools and colleges may be one solution. Aggressive use of technology maybe another. Traditional learning and knowledge systems are giving way to the new at breathtaking speed. Witness the rise of online education systems like Coursera & Udemy at one end to Khan Academy and Byju’s at the other. EdTech is a red hot investment sector worldwide. These news models of education and learning can and should be introduced into Goa too. In this digital age, let us finally do away with the idea of paper text book and notebooks and heavy backpacks.Can we not examine the feasibility of getting a tablet into the hands of each school going child?All text books can be digital, notes in the margins, reviews, sharing. Instructional notes can be digital and stored on the cloud.Examinations and grades, ditto.A walled garden approach can make the tablet restricted for instructional use only.

Nilesh Borde, Professor, Goa Business School said, “If Corona has impacted anything, the most with a lasting impact is education. Online courses till 2020 were an option but will now be a new reality. The challenge will be in engaging students’ long distance and creating an atmosphere of self-learning especially in higher education. But I feel we will have more thinking students. “

Shilpa Mehta, Founder of Paradise School said, “The system of assessments needs to change. Why do we need exams at all? This system of traditional rote learning and memory-driven examinations is passe.Personalised education is the future where each student can choose from a wide variety of buffet choices.”

New ideas can influence local educationand Goa could 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.

Can entrepreneurship be a new way of life?As we all know, Goa is one of the leading states in both tourism and food industry. We can apply this learning and knowledge gleaned from sectoral advantages to fuel astart-up boom in tourism and hospitality training, for example.

Shantanu Sheorey, Founder OneSchoolGoa said, “Goa has the opportunity to become a global creative village. If the government simply provides stable electricity and internet and does away with unnecessary bureaucracy, many education entrepreneurs would be willing to set up in Goa and make this dream a reality. Education provides a far more stably supply of visitors than tourism. We have the opportunity to become the Boston of the East.”

International colleges and schools are severally hampered with student intake with the virus outbreak, tougher visa rules across the world and an uncertain job market that could be impacted for several years.Various students across India are looking for international quality education and hence this could an ideal opportunity for Goa to leverage its location while projecting its focus on good health and hygienic to build a knowledge village / city in Goa and invite international grade colleges to set up world class institutions in Goa.

UmajiChowgule of Chowgule Education said, “The role of technology in education cannot be underscored enough. It must be the foundation on which we build the future of education. Rather than focus on big ideas that may be difficult to pull off, it may be better to focus on implementation of a few small ideas. Being an educational hub doesn’t happen overnight - will need a lot of people to come together. Create an environment to see how we can add value to who and what we are teaching. From this, big changes will come. “

Nandita of The Learning Centre said, “Learning is not for life but life itself. A young person growing up with this philosophy, will live in harmony within their natural and social environments, use their knowledge and skills not to harm but ease a troubled world and will stand against all forms of discrimination and oppression. Goa should focus on its USPs – sports, creativity, environmental studies and arts and culture could be great offerings to make Goa an education hub.”