SCHOOL(s) of 2030

Uniform, Time-table, Calendar, Morning Assembly, Recess, Tiffin-box, Last Period, Rough Book, Home-work, Monitor, Last Bench, Kneel down, Call-your-parents, Annual Day, Picnic and above all – Principal, Class Teacher, Friends and ‘just Friends!’ Every word shall make everyone nostalgic and remind us of arguably the best days of our life – THE SCHOOL DAYS! Human civilisation over centuries has been moulded by this prodigious temple of knowledge called SCHOOL(s)! Be it ancient Gurukul or modern-day SCHOOL(s), the foundation of most humans as ‘beings’ on planet earth has been laid at SCHOOL(s).

India has a mammoth 15 lakh schools with 97 lakh teachers catering to 265 lakh students! 12.50 lakh of the total schools of our country are in rural areas, from Lakhpat in Gujarat to Moreh in Manipur. 11 lakh Government and Aided Schools in 20+ diverse regional languages under the aegis of 30+ dynamic Boards makes India one of the largest and most versatile School Education ecosystems across the globe; indeed no mean feat to transform this colossal ecosystem. The ongoing post-pandemic NEP era (National Education Policy by GoI) propelled by SDG4 (Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the UN) will catalyse sweeping, significant and visibly tangible reforms. SCHOOL(s) from 2023 to SCHOOL(s) of 2030 are set to witness unprecedented revolution; as we march towards being a developed nation by 2047 in this ongoing revolutionary ‘Amrit Kaal of India @ 100’. ‘Offline to Online to Hybrid’ – SCHOOL(s) of our country is poised to take pole-position, as India is all set to be a ‘Global-knowledge-superpower’ in the 2030s and beyond.

Hybrid / Blended learning, higher emphasis on soft skills, inclusive learning spaces, immersive learning, a greater focus on overall health (physical and mental), and increased emphasis on entrepreneurship shall be the hallmarks of SCHOOL(s) of 2030 along with the following key features:

School infrastructure shall consist of flexible seating, more like a co-working space. It shall feature creator places so that students can experiment and learn. SCHOOLs will be filled with VR/AR sets, voice-controlled gadgets and latest tech-enabled devices for students to garner engaging content through experiential pedagogy. SCHOOL(s) shall be a building with four walls with ‘tomorrow’ inside!

Specialised School for Sports, Music, etc., apart from Prep Schools, will come into existence, especially for Class IX-XII. With NEP offering wide-ranging subject choices, super-specialisation SCHOOLs will be sought-after.

Teacher / Coach / Mentor shall become a guide-by-the-side than a sage-on-the-stage. AI-enabled adaptive learning will reduce dependency on age-old direct instructional pedagogy. The usage of adaptive learning for teaching core content means teachers no longer have to be content experts; instead, they are a motivator and mentors to students. ‘Teaching what counts’ will weigh more than ‘teaching to count’!

Students will align to adaptive learning tools, leading to faster instructional delivery, thereby plummeting academic effort to almost half of today’s duration (i.e. about 3 hours). The other half (balance 3 hours) of overall school duration (per day) shall be for life skills and for students to explore personal interest ventures. Learning-on-demand with deeper understanding shall result in students having more choices and bespoke personalised learning outcomes. ‘Students in schools’ shall be groomed to become ‘learners for life’!

A future-proof pedagogy for learners shall prepare them for skills essential for future success – to adapt to unforeseen issues that aren’t yet anticipated. Adapting to uncertainty, constantly evolving complex problem-solving, analytical thinking, creativity, innovation, emotional intelligence, and empathy will be a part of pedagogy. Educators will have to allow students to engage at their own pace. Technology will enable students to work more intuitively at a pace that suits them. The best is yet to come!

Following emerging trends appear to be pre-requisites for SCHOOL(s) of 2030:
Digital Learning as a Subject / Curriculum: As technology shall be an integral part of SCHOOL education, it is extremely critical to introduce Digital Learning as a Subject (with grades assigned) from Class VI onwards in the 5 + 3 + 3 + 4 structure of NEP. Digital Learning as a subject should be ideally embedded in mainstream subjects like Math and Science to overcome pandemic-induced learning loss. Hitherto unconventional curriculums like Deshbhakti and Happiness are rightly introduced by Govt of Delhi, ‘Digital Learning’ as a subject/curriculum is indeed a greater need of the hour for students across India in this post-pandemic NEP era.

QR-coded Books: SCHOOL books (textbooks, workbooks or any other study material) should ideally use QR-coded embedded pedagogy to ensure uniformity and seamlessness in pedagogy, in sync with NEP goals. The Government of Maharashtra’s SCERT has already effectively started its on-ground implementation through their QR WorkBooks initiative.

Virtual (Hybrid) Schools: The Govt of Rajasthan has recently launched a path-breaking futuristic reform by formally allowing Virtual (Hybrid) Schools for IX to XII. While the teaching-learning process shall happen ONLINE (anytime, anywhere), annual exams (practicals and theory) of SSC / HSC shall have to be taken OFFLINE (in-person) at par with all students. Virtual Schools shall help popular schools in urban areas to provide their high-quality education to rural students at affordable fees, thereby reducing the urban-rural divide. It shall also give budding sports enthusiasts and vocational career aspirants flexibility to maintain a balance between academics and other pursuits.

State-level Command and Control Centre: To believe it, one must see it! The centralised Command and Control Centre (CCC) established by the Government of Gujarat is one of the most futuristic creations for digitising the School Education ecosystem; it is perhaps not done anywhere across the globe at such a massive scale. These centralised facilities shall be of immense help to bring standardisation of quality in School Education across rural hinterlands at par with urban conglomerates.

Be it the futuristic CCC / Schools of Excellence by Govt of Gujarat, the revolutionary Virtual (Hybrid) Schools along with Shikshaa mein badhte kadam by the Government of Rajasthan, or the new-age QR WorkBooks by Govt of Maharashtra, or the Deshbhakti / Happiness curriculum by Govt of Delhi; it is incredibly heartening to witness such exceptional trends emerging due to NEP – ensuring ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ in true sense!
SCHOOL(s) of 2030 – bring it on!

Credit goes to lakhs of teachers and non-teaching staff for their relentless efforts, exceptionally led by dynamic School Principal(s) along with leadership teams and management in each of the SCHOOL(s) across India. Hats off to their outstanding selfless approach towards nation-building, always in all ways. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Ji has rightly said, “if you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun!” That’s precisely what a SCHOOL is; it is like the Sun, an epicentre of the entire solar system of Education. The forms of SCHOOL may evolve, but the values and ethos of our age-old Guru-Shishya Paramparaa shall enshrine forever.

Yours Educationally,
Dr Shrenik BK
Co-founder, Education Ssabhi Ko

This article is in continuation to my previous article titled COACHING – a CLASS apart! http://knowyourtown.co.in/coaching-a-class-apart/
I sincerely thank all mentors at my beloved Alma Mater – St Pius, R.A. Podar, and D.Y. Patil, for all their efforts in grooming me during my foundation years.
Do share your views and opinion at educationssabhiko@gmail.com