MEDIA | ASHOKA UNIVERSITY

The original video was published on July 9, 2020 by Ashoka University

Disruption wrought by COVID-19 is different. We have transitioned to a world that needs to coexist with this unpredictable threat. In these times, our schools must quickly respond to the breakdowns. However, a response is necessary, but not sufficient. We need to get ahead of the curve, we need to reimagine our schools as resilient systems.

Speaking on the topic ‘Resilient School -What does it really mean for us?’ in the virtual conference hosted by Ashoka University on the future of K-12 education, Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder, Infosys and EkStep Foundation, said, 

“The rapid shift to move everything online, zoom classes, teaching through smart phones, all of this is part of a short-term response which was necessary but not sufficient. We need to fundamentally reimagine schools, build a resilient system strategically detailing how are we going to deal with the turbulence for next few years”

“A resilient system is something in which we are able to function even when there is turbulence outside, it is like a ship sailing through a stormy sea and resilience has to be thought through. A lot of time has been spent on making things efficient, dealing with things which we could not anticipate”

“We need to be able to virtualise space so that schooling can be done from anywhere. Schooling beyond school, learning beyond classroom and playing beyond playground should be our motive when we look forward to synchronising teaching learning experience ...it should no longer be about proximity” 

“Reimagining education and staying ahead of the curve should be the number one priority for the government right now. With platforms like Diksha being launched by the government, I think they are already ahead of the curve.”