There is no better day than today to call for a collective mindset shift to rethink education for the 21st century. The effects of the pandemic, escalating war and conflicts, increasing human rights violations, the advent of Artificial Intelligence and the changing employment landscape are few of the changes that are so fast-paced that it’s hard to predict the future.  Deep within me, I feel restless and regret that the reform in education is not matching the pace of growth and change in the world, while new challenges are constantly emerging. It is so difficult for us to imagine learning beyond the ‘school’ framework. The current Indian education system was designed to meet the needs and demands of colonial times and education was denied to certain sections of society based on caste and religious biases. While after India’s independence, huge strides have been made in providing access to education, the focus must now shift to ensuring quality education for all. Challenges that exist include accessibility to schools and colleges across marginalised groups, non-alignment of school curricula with employment needs, societal issues like poverty, caste and class biases, corruption and the privatisation of education leading to soaring costs of quality education. Even as awareness of these challenges exists, the crucial first step is to collectively acknowledge that the current system is not helping young people prepare for life and career. These challenges are often addressed in isolation and do not fundamentally solve the larger systemic issues at play which calls for a holistic approach to reshape the educational landscape. 

All of us went to school believing that it will positively impact us. Reflecting on my own learning, this system did not help me learn numeracy, literacy, basic life skills required to make decisions and didn’t prepare me for life’s innumerable challenges. I learnt English only when adults around me walked this journey with me and helped me pick up the basics of conversing in English. Today when we call young people who graduated from the Dream a Dream life skills programmes, they share how their diverse needs are not catered by the current education system. They share how finance and accountancy is taught by training young people to maintain account books, a practice that is no longer followed by even small businesses, who have already graduated to technology! The education system continues to focus on scoring marks and enabling young people to find the right opportunity in life. However, the real life opportunities are often beyond the six subjects taught in our schools. We need to fundamentally shift the way young people are taught. I have come to realise that the onus to change, learn and thrive often rests with the young people, where there is a lot of emphasis on them to work hard, be creative and resilient. The question to ask is have we done enough to help young people learn? The environment in which children learn, plays a pivotal role in broadening pathways for them to thrive. 

Success in education should not be solely measured by academic marks. Embracing an intersectional lens in education ensures that young people are equipped to navigate a diverse and interconnected world. It fosters collaboration, empathy and a deep understanding of equity. In my recent visit to Delhi schools, witnessing the effort to integrate children with disabilities in certain schools gave me goosebumps. It was heartening to see an education system not looking at learning in silos. All young people have the agency and support to make informed decisions and celebrate their strengths. By cultivating these values from a young age, they are embracing a mindset shift to explore possibilities and ensure that no one is left behind.

The mindset shift must extend to recognizing the necessity of adapting learning to meet the demands of the 21st century. This requires breaking away from traditional moulds and:

• Developing more inclusive, fun and adaptable learning methods and diverse learning spaces that work for children with different interests and abilities.
• Creating a holistic framework that follows the progress of each child, identifying the causes underlying learning gaps.
• Prioritising teacher wellbeing and building their agency to design and contextualise learning in their classrooms.

I believe this shift is possible, if we all come together. Shifting the narrative in education requires a collective effort from educators, policymakers, parents and society as a whole. This is not only our responsibility, but a necessity for fostering a generation of learners prepared to thrive in an ever-evolving world. We can’t fix each flower to bloom, but we can fix the environment in which every flower blooms.

About the Author:

Pavithra KL is the Associate Director, Direct Impact programmes at Dream a Dream and is making persistent efforts to reimagine learning for the past 15 years.