View of EDUCATION SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN CURRENT SCENERIO

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VOLUME: 08, Special Issue 01, (SDCS-2021) Paper id-IJIERM-VIII-I, February 2021 69

EDUCATION SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN CURRENT SCENERIO

Dr. Sr. Alice Thomas

Principal, St. Paul Institute of Professional Studies, Indore Dr. Sarita Rana

Assistant Professor, St. Paul Institute of Professional Studies, Indore 1. INTRODUCTION

Education is an ongoing process in which human beings develop their God-given talents and potentialities to become more fully informed, more fully wise, more fully skilled and productive, and more fully human in their social, moral, religious, intellectual and emotional life. It is therefore continuously evolving, growing, maturing in the surroundings in which humans live and interact.

Naturally, this ongoing process is conditioned to a considerable extent by the world around humans at the given time and the developments taking place therein. Hence, in any educational system the developments taking place in and around the milieu play a significant role, and these will have to be taken seriously. However, it is almost impossible to give an accurate, scientific prediction of what the world is going to be and in what way the developments accompanying it will impact humans 23 or more years from now.

1.1 Objectives

1. To give an overview on Education Sustainable Development

2. To throw light on the impact of ESD on various areas of life including religion 3. To provide a foresight of ESD in future

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

The „economist‟ view of education uses quantitative measurable outputs as a measure of quality. For example, enrolment ratios and retention rates, rates of return on investment in education in terms of earnings and cognitive achievement as measured in national or international tests. (Barrett et al., 2006, p. 2).

The humanist tradition emphasizes education as a process, with the student at the centre of that process. Goals of education include wider social goals (e.g., human rights, social justice and democracy) and personal goals. The humanist tradition is based on the observation that children have an innate interest and ability to learn. It aims to develop the whole personality as well as creativity and problem-solving abilities. Currently, humanist approaches are described with terms such as learner centered, participative and democratic. Furthermore, they embrace contemporary concerns of human rights and environmental sustainability (Barrett et al., 2006; Kumar & Sarangapani, 2004).

The Minister of Education and Advanced Learning of the Province of Manitoba in Canada wrote in his online letter to the public: „We are committed to providing Manitoba students with engaging and high quality education that prepares them for lifelong learning and participation in a socially just, democratic and sustainable society‟ (Allum, 2012).

The concept of quality recurs frequently in international educational discourse. For example, the World Educational Forum on Education for All (EFA) has addressed quality education in its EFA framework and goals. The framework has six goals; Goal 6 calls for:

„Improving every aspect of the quality of education, and ensuring...excellence so that

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recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills‟ (UNESCO, 2000, p. 17).

3. ADVANTAGES OF EDUCATION SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 Diverse Time and Place:- Students will have more opportunities to learn at different times in different places. ELearning tools facilitate opportunities for remote, self-paced learning. Classrooms will be flipped, which means the theoretical part is learned outside the classroom, whereas the practical part shall be taught face to face, interactively.

 Personalized Learning:-

 Students will learn with study tools that adapt to the capabilities of a student.

 Free Choice:- Though every subject that is taught aims for the same destination, the road leading towards that destination can vary per student. Similarly to the personalized learning experience, students will be able to modify their learning process with tools they feel are necessary for them.

 Project Based:- As careers are adapting to the future freelance economy, students of today will adapt to project based learning and working.

 Field Experience:- Because technology can facilitate more efficiency in certain domains, curricula will make room for skills that solely require human knowledge and face-to-face interaction.

 Data Interpretation:- Though mathematics is considered one of three literacies, it is without a doubt that the manual part of this literacy will become irrelevant in the near future. Computers will soon take care of every statistical analysis, and describe and analyse data and predict future trends.

 Exams will Change Completely:- As courseware platforms will assess students capabilities at each step, measuring their competencies through Q&A might become irrelevant, or might not suffice.

 Student Ownership:- Students will become more and more involved in forming their curricula.

 Mentoring will become More Important:- In 20 years, students will incorporate so much independence in to their learning process, that mentoring will become fundamental to student success.

4. CHALLENGES AND CHANGES IN EDUCATION WORLD

At the same time, basing ourselves on a serious study of the trends that are afoot in our world today in general, and India in particular, we can predict/project certain features of the world of the 2040s.

1. Continuation of the Mind-Boggling Pace at Which Science and Technology are Moving Ahead:- Many more surprising discoveries and technological breakthroughs can be expected. Consequently, many serious challenges will arise, particularly in establishing institutions. [For example, genetic engineering will continue and human cloning will become a reality, at least in nations like China, with all its perils and promises]. Educators will have to be prepared and ready to respond to this challenge responsibly and creatively.

2. Transformation of the World from a ‘Global Village’ to a ‘Stellar Village’:- In the 1960s experts began talking about a „global village‟ in the light of the developments taking place at that time. Today, over six decades later, that has become a reality.

As we know, in a village everyone can know what happens to other members of the village. Today, thanks to telecommunication facilities, media, IT technology, etc., everyone is in a position to know what is happening in any part of the world almost instantaneously. In the 2040s we can expect this trend moving from the global (earth-bound) to the stellar level – interplanetary travel, communication, etc., to become a commonplace experience.

3. Increasing Anonymity:- During the past few decades, mobiles phones and other audiovisual means of communication were expected to bring humans closer to each

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other, instead ironically, it seems to be doing exactly the opposite. These modern and advanced gadgets and means of communication have, unfortunately, become a means of isolation and consequent anonymity. [For instance, it is common experience today that a person sitting next to you for hours on a train/bus is lost with persons miles away, rather than with his/her brother/sister sitting next]. This scenario will become much worse when visual telecommunication becomes easier and well-within the reach of ordinary people in the 2040s.

4. Critical Spirit and Individualism on the Rise:- The recent runaway developments in the IT sector have led to a knowledge explosion. Google and other more advanced and sophisticated search engines have made any information about any topic easily accessible, just a click away! Many claims and beliefs hitherto taken for granted have been challenged and some shown to be false or misrepresented. [For instance, the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene has been depicted in the Google in a very non-traditional way, to the displeasure of many conservatives and to the support of many liberal thinkers.] All these developments, naturally, are questioning many claims of the past and the religious faith of many persons may get shattered. Individualism, self-centeredness and even selfishness will be on the rise in the 2040s.

5. Challenge to Many Past Religious Beliefs and Practices:- As a consequence of these developments many past beliefs and practices will be challenged and regarded as products of past ignorance and gullibility. A good illustration for this will be the Church-Galileo controversy of the 17^th century. [As an aftermath of this controversy many age-old beliefs and absolutist assertions of Christian leaders were shown to be false, and the influence and credibility of the Church suffered a serious blow from which it has not fully recovered yet.] Similarly, in our own times developments in science, technology and other fields may expose the fallacy and baselessness of many religious and social claims. These developments are bound to have their impact on the educational system.

6. Credibility and Competence under Scanner:- The competence and credibility of the leaders, particularly religious leaders, will take a beating. With the explosion of knowledge and critical challenge to established customs and practices, the competence and credibility of the leaders will be put to severe test. Any incompetence will not be tolerated easily. This will have serious repercussions on minority institutions and other educational institutions where the administration is in the hands of the minority.

7. Political Developments and their Consequences:- The secular fabric of our country has always been a great help in our multi-religious context. But with the upsurge of RSS and other communal forces, this form of checks and balance may suffer seriously, and the RSS agenda of the Hindu Rashtra may become a reality in the years to come. [Just like in Pakistan which is a proclaimed Islamic State with the minorities having no, or very little, protective constitutional provision.]If and when it happens, what will the fate of our many minority educational institutions be in the 2040s?

8. Enslavement to Technology and Media:- Humans are fast becoming technology- dependent, even virtual slavery to gadgets of various kinds. “My mobile is my life; I cannot live without it,” these and similar statements are increasingly becoming common among youngsters, particularly students which hardly anyone takes note of them anymore. Contemporary technology is thriving on this often exaggerated and even unnecessary craving. Any educational system will have to take this trend into consideration, since it can be a real obstacle to concentration and dedicated study.

9. Quick-Fix Mentality:- The quick-fix mentality and the resultant impatience, particularly among the youth, is on the increase. In our age of computers and clicks, everything moves fast, and students are impatient when the pace is slowed down.

They want quick answers and immediate solutions, in the absence of which they become restless and agitated, and remain discontented and dissatisfied. Education,

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on the other hand, often takes a slow, steady path since its goal is not just to solve a particular problem on the spot, but to prepare humans for the long path of life.

10. Suicide Rate on the Rise:- The quick-fix mentality and craze for instant solution have a great impact on the life and character of the youth, especially the students.

They want their wishes to be addressed and taken care of instantly, in the absence of which they are disappointed and depressed. Many are led to the path of suicides.

[Statics show that Kerala with its highest literacy rate has the largest number of suicides, particularly among the youth.] They find it hard to take a “no” for an answer.

11. Collapse of the Social Fabric:- The gradual collapse of marriage as a sacred religious and social institution and the braking up of families is a reality today.

„Live-in partnership‟ in which a young boy and a young girl live together without any formal commitment or mutual obligation is fast becoming popular. Usually they do not want any children to be born of this form of life. This too has its impact on education since such moves will reduce the population and affect school enrolment considerably. In fact, in some states this is already being experienced.

12. Nuclear Families and Corporal Punishment in Schools:- Thanks to the professionalization of women population and consequent late marriages, and other factors, families are becoming small with very few children. This leads to over- pampering of children and over concern for them. Any form of corporal punishment to children, even when done for serious reasons and for the good of the children, is vehemently opposed by parents. [The old educational adage, „Spare the rod and spoil the child‟ is no longer valid for many or most parents]. School discipline and character formation, particularly moral, are going to suffer grievously in the future.

The 2040s will surely experience this situation.

5. FUTURE OF EDUCATION IN NEXT 20 YEARS

It‟s important to think about what we can do to prepare for the future, so we can improve areas of need today. Here are a few areas; schools should focus on evolving to create a bright future for education.

 Personalization and Customization:- Today‟s learners are digital natives. They are accustomed to getting information and meeting their needs with a click of a button in a user-friendly, personal and customizable way. Future educators will have to face the fact that students will need (and want) to learn in a flexible, personalized format.

 Student Ownership:- In addition to personalization, students want to have a greater voice in their education instead of simply listening to a lecture. Since higher levels of thinking and learning require more student ownership, education will become more project based - a pivotal theme moving forward. Schools will need to allow students to choose what they learn, how they learn and what projects they participate in.

 Improved Curricula:- In addition to having more project-based instructional models, schools will need to examine their core curriculum.

 Innovative Learning Spaces and Environments:- Schools will need to rethink the classroom learning environment to better suit students‟ needs. The environment should be conducive to innovative and creative learning.

 Interconnectivity:- In 20 years, students will expect more of a mentoring relationship from their teachers, which is not the norm in schools today. Since more students will be learning and gathering information without attending school in person, future teachers will have to embrace various ways of staying connected and engaging with their students via social media, online communities, Google Hangouts, Twitter chats and more to stay connected with students.

6. CONCLUSION

However, I am convinced that education is the single most important factor in the development of any society. It will benefit all sections of people and help us to grow

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intellectually. Similarly, faith formation, which is faith education and sharing of faith experience, is indispensable in order to enhance the psychological and spiritual well-being of the individuals and society.

In 2040, if we are fortunate enough to live in spite of all dangers facing humanity, we would have learnt the art of getting along better with one another. To live up to 2040 implies that we have escaped the possibilities of war, violence and mass hunger at a global scale. That itself would be a great achievement, which would have taught us the art of getting along with diverse people, with different world-views.

In essence we can safely say that schools of yesterday and today are not the kind of schools that we need for tomorrow. We have to create new mindsets new strategies and new processes. Indeed we have to create an entirely new educational and instructional leadership by creating new pathways. The vision we have created for ourselves in school education will transform into reality only if it is backed up by witnessing Jesus the Great Teacher. Education is not mere scholastic training. It should make people worldly wise with spiritual training that insists up on discipline and sincerity, decency and decorum, diligence and determination, honesty and integrity.

REFERENCE

1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0973408216661442.

2. https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-sustainable-development/what-is-esd.