Intelligence, or rather, the growth of intellect, is considered the primary purpose of education. Standardized methods of testing that we see in our schools and colleges often test our recall ability which, unfortunately, is considered a measure of intellect. But is education limited to its intellectual aspect? No! However, to a large extent, we tend to limit it to the academic aspect. The physical and moral aspects of education are given low to negligible importance as they are considered a waste of time or something we can do outside of the classroom and at home. While these teaching methods have continued for generations, we see voices demanding change. We see calls for sustainable education.
How can education be made sustainable? Quite simply put, we break down most education systems in the world. We tear apart the intellectual approach to teaching and put into place teaching-learning methods that extend much beyond the walls of a classroom. We create a healthy blend of education's academic, physical, and moral aspects and inculcate vocational training, skill development, and environmental consciousness. By doing so, we create self-sufficient, tolerant, ready-for-the-real-world individuals. We create individuals whose education is sustainable for the future.
From the desk of the United Nations, Sustainable Development Goal 4 talks about Quality Education. It aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The key barriers to quality education are gender-wealth disparity and universal access to education. The UN encourages the use of space technologies to push for e-learning opportunities. But is it feasible considering the development status of the world’s countries?
By tying in sustainable and quality education, we have a chance at breaking the vicious circle of poverty as well as the problem of gender-wealth disparity. Universal and equal access to sustainable and quality education will allow higher proportions of individuals to pursue higher education, reducing income and gender gaps in the labor force.
In India, the National Education Policy of 2020 recognizes the need to restructure the country's education system toke progress toward SDG 4. The implementation of this Policy will be led by various bodies including the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), Union and State Governments, Boards, National Testing Agency (NTA), National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs), schools, and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with milestones to be achieved by 2022, 2025 and 2030. Measures like significant changes in curriculum teaching methods, conducting audits, and establishing sustainability indices are essential for schools and colleges to get ahead with the agenda. Actions like these require the cooperation of all involved entities - the government, schools, colleges, students, and parents. Key recommendations of the NEP include: (i) redesigning the structure of school curriculum to incorporate early childhood care and education, (ii) curtailing dropouts to ensure universal access to education, (iii) increasing gross enrolment in higher education to 50% by 2035, and (iv) improving research in higher education institutes by setting up a Research Foundation.
Although such changes have been proposed, is India ready for such fast-paced changes? Are we ready to shift focus away from traditional school subjects to life skills? Are we as a society prepared to absorb these changes? To ask a more important question, will the switch to sustainable education really come? Only time will tell.
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