Categorical developments parents should consider in the overall growth of the student in order to avoid obsolete knowledge.

Relevancy –the only way to dodge obsolete knowledge-

Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani – Provost – HSNC University

Today’s generation lives in a digital era, where technologies are ingrained in all facets of life, be it institutional, commerce, economic, political, educational, personal or social. The digital age has far flung implications on the way one obtains and digests knowledge to cull out actual learnings. The burgeoning desire to stay updated, connected, visible and exposed to the universe has become the integral part of today’s fast –paced contemporary lifestyle. As a result, parenting and teaching in this disrupted age of machine learning and digital environment is subject to ponder upon. The methodology to shape up new fostering brains in this digital epoch is a vital area of concern and demands solicitous approach. Imparting knowledge in this info age has multiple avenues, but the real challenge is to restore these key learnings without memorizing. This opens a gateway for categorical learning concepts that assures gradual knowledge acquiring processes through organized and encoded category information.

Knowledge attaining is a constant process of self- educating where today’s learning will be obsolete knowledge tomorrow. To avoid obsoleteness, one has to adopt the perpetual learning, relearning and unlearning through Upskilling. The world has realized the significance of reskilling as means for continual growth in the world of survival. Continual acquiring new skill sets and retarding obsolete ones will empower one to grow at the pace which the world is unfolding dynamically

The teaching and coaching methodology needs a complete rejig where rote learning is outdated and stands no relevance as it has no practice. Practice of self-learning, and self-assessment modus of growth operandi will augments the conscious choice of learning for progression of children. They must be cohesively exposed to the vital skills like cognitive, technical and organizing for enriching their formative years of learning. The students are exposed to passive, analogy or conceptual learning which helps to build intellectual intelligence, but also critical thinking, analysis and research are growing skill sets in demand. The dearth of emotional intelligence with people’s management or networking skills is gaining grounds in today’s artificial intelligence world. Such skills harness children to the disruptive world which can be imbibed through practical application and not a pedantic approach towards education. Internship and apprenticeship provides a breeding ground for students to cultivate and nurture such valuable skills and strengthen their core skill sets beyond academic trumpets.

To me management is about doing things in the right manner, but leadership is all about doing right things. Today’s competitive world needs leadership qualities who can lead from front, be responsible, possess sharp acumen of risk management and enable team building. Categorical development inculcates the habit of decision making, responsiveness, and navigating uncharted territories through ability of coping up. Parents should realize the significance of such a critical skill set which is categorically pivotal to the exponential growth of the young demographic. The educational institution should also carve out modern curriculums that sharpen the technical skills among the varied talent pool to bring out niche development. Freedom to explore their interests, abilities and achieve their dreams is best for bolstering their knowledge.

Another major focus needs to be realigning on comprehensive and holistic life-long learning. The hunger for more self-learning and self-assessment needs to inculcate as practice of more constructive knowledge. More collaborative approaches designed towards instructional & enquiry models will harness more cross curriculum learning, project based learning and self-regulated flexi learning making traditional rote learning obsolete. The continual learning through upskilling will enhance relevance to workforce industry and promote inclusive growth. Staying relevant is the only way to dodge becoming obsolete.