Holistic Development: Paradigm Shift in Education System

 

Holistic Development: Paradigm Shift in Education System

 

Throughout history, education has provided students with opportunities to learn, and as a student, I know inside out of the prevailing education system. I consider education to be a multi-stage process, where every step is predefined and interconnected with a level of difficulty. As a student's age increases, the level of difficulty also rises. A formal education system has its benefits as well as its criticsism. Some worldwide scholars have explained education well in their own words, such as following.

 

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."  Nelson Mandela

 

"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."  Theodore Roosevelt

 

"Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth."  Chanakya

 

"Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time."  Rabindranath Tagore

 

I remember how teachers taught me during my childhood, at the dawn of the 21st century. They use a blackboard and white chalk for illustrations. The bundle of books provided to us was like a novel to us. I rely exclusively on them to score the highest marks in my exams. The institute where I have studied is more concerned about the exam results of each student rather than their overall growth and development, like extracurricular activities and sports activities. 

 

As I joined another school, I realized the importance of overall development. Even though it was lower in the ranking than other institutes, it provided me with numerous opportunities to explore myself and identify my interests. These included sports, music, computer training, and dance classes. And it gives me a vision of what I must do to sustain myself in this world. In this institute, I explored myself and found a new version of myself.

 

This institute devoted energy to enhancing every student's personality and providing what they want. Compared to my experience at both types of institutes, I found a change in the approach, system, infrastructure, environment, and more. Also, my parents' behavior changed with the shift in the institute. Initially, they were more concerned about the exam marks, and later they asked what lessons I had learned today. 

 

It was a change in my parents' perception and also in my opinion about education. It is not only a means to pass out a class and get the highest marks but also a way to develop or transform yourself through multiple aspects. 

 

Later, I joined the ICFAI business school for my Post Graduate Program in Management. Initially, its environment was relatively unfamiliar to me. But after the completion of a month here, I am confident that this will take me to a new set of opportunities waiting for me. Here I got a separate class for personality development, interpersonal skills, presentation skills, Information Technology Labs, advanced Library, and one-on-one mentoring sessions through faculties and alumni.

 

Therefore, this transition from a school to a business school left a few noticeable marks. I also witnessed a gradual transformation in the education system. And it was more due to the pandemic COVID-19. It was a complete flip for the education system when they started a revolutionary phase in the form of virtual education.

 

I tried to examine the structure of today's existing education system. Eventually, I discovered that the Britishers gave this structure through the English Education Act of 1835 when they ruled India. Their objective was to prepare employees for masters, and they successfully achieved that goal. However, the government and youth now seek to change this pattern of preparing enslaved people.

 

In addition, I also observe that, in the present scenario, the whole environment and the methods have changed in favour of educating the nation's future. During the pandemic, I saw a drastic change in the pedagogy of different institutes, along with the ICFAI Business School. While the entire institute functioned in a virtual mode with a remote base, it was still able to deliver its legacy with the tagline of transforming education with the latest innovations and quality assurance.

 

"The education has to be connected to the work place."

"Education has necessarily to become the starting point of individuals' transformation" S.C. Sharma Senior Director ICFAI Business School Gurgaon.

 

Due to the transformational approach they introduce the concept of clubs and cells, for example, Digital Marketing Cell, Institutional Building Cell, Stock Market Club, People's Manager Club, and more. Also, it facilitates formal industrial visits, visits of famous corporate figures, live projects, and more. Students also get to spend one day in a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) as a social responsibility and to participate in environmental awareness campaigns. Students teach poor children and organize events to give students a chance to nurture themselves. They conduct competitions to award books and other study materials, and they also use this platform for career guidance.

 

Being a part of this family and getting an education in the right way is an honour for me. The traditional form of education may yield better exam results, but we need the emerging form of education to succeed in life. It enables us to fulfill the shared dream of all Indians that India will become a 'Vishwa Guru' again in the upcoming decades.