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Education and employability in the digital age
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technological infrastructure (e.g., video conferencing, online delivery of content, electronic boards, incubators, etc.) has seen some adoption, albeit not at a pace that would be needed to scale up rapidly. Reluctance or lack of interest of faculty and staff to adopt technology is still of concern, although new faculty (many returning from abroad) are more willing to take on this challenge. Academic leadership is also in the doldrums as interference is felt widely across the academic institutions that impose unnecessary restrictions.
Priorities for education and employability
Leadership : Leadership in the education sector has simply been insipid and lacking in virility. Unless educational leaders emerge to show a clear vision, prioritise programmes, organise and effectively allocate resources, continuously build capacity, be action-oriented, and stringently monitor progress, future-readiness of the nation’s workforce will be sacrificed to mediocrity. It must be emphasised that our population is not a liability but a great asset, especially having advantage of the demographic dividend that is yet to be properly harnessed.
System Thinking: Among the most important issues to be addressed is the supply chain problem. Unless the various tiers of the education system are systematically integrated for flow and continuity, valuable time will be wasted in training the workforce. A concept of “tiered skill set development” may be envisioned in which learners may step off at various points of the supply chain to start working. They may be allowed to re-join the system whenever they feel the need to upskill and reskill.
Core vs Specialised Knowledge: Learning for a changed workplace requires core skills, embellished by specialised skills depending on what the learner is being developed for. For example, basic STEAM+L skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics + Languages) may be developed with an emphasis on creativity and critical thinking to imbue life-long learning. For future employees, according to one source, employers are looking for the following: Problem solver, Communicator, Team work, Technical skills (Apps, Big Data Analytics, Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and many others) and global thinking are now vital. These core skills ought to be widely instilled and embellished with subject area knowledge (engineering, medicine, mathematics, languages, etc.).
Financial Allocations : Financial allocations have been a bone of contention for ages. Experts have repeatedly suggested the need to increase allocation to education from 2 percent of GDP to 6 percent. Unfortunately, the sector has continued to succumb to its lack of power and failure in managing the politics of resource control by other sectors. Always cast as second class, the lack of attention to the education sector has meant that human capital development has generally taken a back seat.
Technology Infrastructure : Technology infrastructure has made progress but still ranks low even by South Asian standards. It is important to find ways to quickly build this infrastructure. It is also not enough to simply have the infrastructure in place, but also important to be able to leverage it.
Slow-to-change culture : The slow to change culture built into the system is also a serious issue. Those who are unwilling to change with the times must be systematically removed while vibrant energy is continuously sought and added to the system. Only the right combination of human resources can take the system full-steam ahead.
HRM-HRM-HRM : The education system is extremely poor in managing its human resources. The various elements of the figure below (source: Internet) require emphatic attention. With a strong HRM system, the education sector can help develop the nation’s best asset—its human asset!
Partnerships : To lead a successful transformation in the sector, the different stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, employers, government, financiers, etc.) must be in a partnership role and take ownership of the process. “Public-private partnerships may be explored to stimulate investment in enabling infrastructure…The private sector can play a more active role in education and training, including providing better information about needs to learners and the education and training ecosystem…Through tax benefits and other incentives, policy makers can encourage companies to invest in human capital, including job creation, learning and capability building, and wage growth.”
Research : Information dearth is the final missing block, attenuating the education system’s ability to adapt to the future. In this information-deficient environment, one wonders how decisions are made to guide the system. There is even no centralised data system to capture key elements reflecting growth, development, and attainments of the sector. The metrics are simply not there for public consumption. For example, do we know “how humans work alongside machines”? Do we know “the productivity benefits of technology”? Do we know how “well-developed is the nation’s brain pool”? Questions such as these are numerous and will fill pages: I rest my case.
Conclusion
Sustained economic growth depends on a long-term strategy to improve the educational environment, leading to human development—i.e., improving their levels of consciousness and by making them more intelligent, more ready, and more capable in their evolving work environment in a globalising and rapidly changing world.
There is no single mantra for a country’s education sector and its need to build strategic human resources. The sector is different in nature, scope and operations in different parts of the world, shaped by its context, resources, and stage of development. While they are all confronted with the question of how to adapt and evolve in an increasingly digital world, it must be understood that Bangladesh must find its own answers.
Leadership, vision, learning goals, financial allocation, infrastructure development, culture, partnerships, and a strong research and information environment must interact in positive ways to align with the coming digital age. But it must be recognised that, “Technology in itself is merely a means to an end, and it is therefore essential to debate, question and inquire about ‘the aim’ of digital transformation, which ideally should be to advance and improve the quality and relevance of [] education.” After all, education is the nation’s backbone—as it grows from strength to strength, the nation will surely advance in leaps and bounds.
Professor Syed Saad Andaleeb, Ph.D. is Distinguished Visiting Professor, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; Distinguished Professor Emeritus Pennsylvania State University, USA. And Former Vice Chancellor, BRAC University.