(From previous issue)
I can go on carp about how dissatisfied I am with how teaching is done with no passion at all but let me just say this teaching is one of the highest calling anyone can get and if it is not done passionately and creatively don’t expect students to retain what has been taught which leads to disinterest in learning and that is a recipe for crisis in the long term.
Locating the root of the problem is only half of the job the other half is how do I fix it? I did some research and did some brainstorming as to what our students are lacking hence the present crisis and I was able to come up with some few things that may fix the issue not immediately but will definitely show positive results 10-15 years down the line. It may take time but it sure will give us progress. So what needs to be done? We need to introduce new subjects, relevant study and modern fields that will propel our students for guaranteed self-employment in the future. I say self-employment because that is the only way now, the Government cannot create jobs for every citizen. Once you teach an individual how to fish he/she will feed herself/himself for a lifetime.
These are the things we need to start teaching in our academic institutions;
1. Entrepreneurship: How to be an entrepreneur or how to run a business should be taught very early. It is one of the best forms of self-employment. It not only employs oneself but it is also one of the best ways for creating more jobs. Selling is an art and art should be taught early in schools and colleges. If you want to be wealthy be an employer, not an employee. Amazon and Alibaba are some good examples I can go on with more examples but I have made my point.
2. Basic Financial Management: My knowledge of financial management is very thin so I won’t say much but it’s important that every student should be taught how to manage personal finance very early in school.
3. Technology: The current biggest wealth creator in the world is technology and I think that should suffice but if that is not enough here is my point, technology will continue to exist as long as humans exist and to be ignorant of how technology works is digging your own grave. Artificial intelligence is going to take over the world very soon and we need to be ready. The new craze in the technology world is Blockchain and data management. Schools, colleges and universities in Nagaland must introduce technology as a subject for the sake of our students.
4. Coding: Our world is run by computers as of now and it will continue to do so and computers are run by codes, it’s the language of computers. Coding knowledge is guaranteed employment or employer in the future. It must be included as a subject in our schools and colleges.
5. Management: Whether it is time management, planning or organizing it is an important subject to be included in the curriculum. If we can teach how to manage time properly, how to handle, prioritize, organize and plan well I think it will be a stimulus for the students for a successful life.
6. Critical Thinking: I think the ability use logic and reasoning is one faculty that everyone should possess and must be taught in schools and colleges.
7. Problem Solving: the ability to think in a different way and solve a problem is a huge advantage for anyone to possess.
8. Life Skills: life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enables humans to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life. Basic life skills such as public speaking, efficient writing, networking, emotional and mental health and the ability to do good research should be taught in schools and college.
These lists of skills are not currently taught in schools and it needs to be if we are to fix our unemployment crisis in the next 10-15 years down the line. This is not the full list, I am refraining myself from including the comprehensive list because this is not a guidebook. I hope this reaches the right people that can implement this and wait for the wave of change to come. By taking this small step we can unleash a sea of innovators, employers, wealth creators, inventors, entrepreneurs, world-class business people, CEOs and so on in Nagaland and to the rest of the world.
This is the dream.
(Concluded)