Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, the education system in India was markedly different from what we see today. Back then, the system was laser-focused on producing a large, capable workforce that could drive the nation’s technological and economic progress. As India embarked on this journey, industries expanded, and local infrastructure developed, shaping the aspirations of an entire generation.
For parents of that era—my parents and their peers—the opportunities in Western economies were particularly alluring. The prospect of “dollar-paying” jobs was intoxicating, offering a level of financial security that the Indian economy of the time could not match. For many, it represented the dream of a better life for their children, a dream that every parent harbors. Fast forward two decades, and the children of those times are now parents themselves, standing at the pivotal junction of deciding their own children’s futures—beginning with their education.
As millennials, we have had the unique experience of witnessing both the old and the new worlds—a world that has evolved rapidly through digitalization, innovation, and globalization. We were also a fortunate generation which enjoyed the values and bonds of joint families as well as freedom to explore uncharted territories. The quintessential trait of nature is that of proliferation and as designed, parents made massive sacrifices to ensure that the children benefited from the best (at the time) education and advice.
But as the famous saying goes, “what got you here won’t get you there.” We must rethink our strategies and priorities when choosing our children’s education, keeping in mind how the world will look 10 to 12 years from now, which jobs will exist, which skills as well as personality traits will be relevant, and how the workforce dynamics will evolve. In the same vein, we must also introspect our roles as parents and ensure that the familial values, cultural integrity and traditional pillars of society are also passed on to the next generation.
The Effects of Globalization and Proliferation of Digital Media
Before the turn of the century, the most lucrative job prospects for Indian nationals were primarily in engineering and medicine domains. This focus made sense, given India’s historical roots in these fields—evident in our architectural marvels, Ayurvedic medicine, and allied sciences. This rich history shaped our post-independence educational policies and inspired large-scale investments in developing the educational ecosystem which strengthened our students’ foundation in these disciplines.
The strategic push to create nationwide infrastructure for engineering institutes like the IITs and medical colleges ensured a steady stream of well-trained, highly capable professionals. While a significant population of these professionals moved abroad, many stayed back, contributing to the growth of India’s leading organizations, such as ISRO and DRDO to name the apex ones. Similarly, the medical fraternity saw substantial growth as students stayed back to advance the field of medicine in India. During this time, it must be acknowledged that the family systems in the society were largely unchanged and were rich in tradition, culture, and values.
As we entered the 21st century, the proliferation of computer technologies and the World Wide Web accelerated globalization, breaking down international borders. Humans were no longer confined by geographic locations—a critical barrier which existed between different communities. This shift disintegrated the traditional competition between the student cohorts, levelling the playing field and allowing everyone to compete on basis of their unique skills. This helped redefine the metrics which companies used to select candidates for employment. This evolution eroded the dependency on marksheets to estimate potential, giving new hope to students who struggled in traditional academics but had innovative ideas or a knack for technology. This was the scenario in the first decade of the 21st century.
Simultaneously, industrialization received a booster shot through advanced robotics, and labor-intensive industries like automobiles, petrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals became highly automated. This automation significantly affected blue-collar jobs, prompting the education sector to focus on upskilling the population in newer technologies such as electronics, telecommunications, and computer science. On the other hand, younger generations from rural India—benefiting from the spread of education at the primary and higher-primary levels—began migrating to urban centers, abandoning traditional means of employment like agriculture and animal husbandry. Unlike previous generations, this new wave of youth showed interest in white-collar jobs in the technology sector. This migration has been a key driver of large-scale modernization across industries in India and has contributed to the rapid acceleration of the economy over the past two decades. The availability of a young, learned, and adaptable population has been pivotal to India’s growth on the global stage.
However, a side effect of this globalization, automation and geographic exodus of people was also seen in the fragmentation of the family systems that existed in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. As the millennial generation moved across domestic and international borders, the vital bonds disintegrated leading to intermixing of cultural ideas, value systems and traditions. One must not ignore the impact that this has on the society at large, primarily due to the disparity between the environments and cultures imposed at home versus those experienced by the youth at school and college.
The Present and Future of India: Looking Ahead 20 Years
With this context in mind, there are key changes occurring today that could prove detrimental to the generation of youth currently aged 5 to 10 years old. As machine learning and artificial intelligence become increasingly ingrained in every aspect of our lives, these technologies are poised to diminish the very professions that fueled technological innovation 20 years ago. For instance, software programming jobs which were revered over the past 15 years are already being replaced by automated AI platforms that make human involvement redundant. Contrary to earlier beliefs, AI and ML are not just changing the landscape of blue-collar jobs but are also impacting white-collar professions. Therefore, the jobs of today will look very different 10 to 20 years from now, dramatically affecting the skills needed to navigate the job market.
On the home front, nuclear family concept has become a norm, with increasing probability that both parents have to work to provide better opportunity to their children. This leads to a disproportionate reliance on schools and educators (including after-school-hours tutors or trainers) to help the child develop in the primary and middle years. Long work hours leaves little energy or enthusiasm for the parents to engage with their children, spend time to understand their perspectives and to invest in their passions. The final nail in the (proverbial) coffin comes from the capitalist mindset that we have grown to admire which drives us to have unrealistic demands from the teachers and our children to achieve excellence because we “paid such high amounts” for the education. It is borderline entitlement on the parents’ parts where enrolling the child in multiple classes will miraculously make the child excel at life. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This is a harsh reality that we, as parents and professionals witnessing the changing environment, need to acknowledge and address in order to prepare our children for what lies ahead. As for the schools and education system, many of the traditional methods which have proven effective in the past, need innovation to align with the direction in which the world is heading.
Possible solutions worth exploring
I am cognizant of the fact that I am not a trained educator and therefore will not delve into the pedagogies employed by different curricula, their impact on the child’s learning, the assessment criteria etc. I also remain extremely appreciative of the importance of the individual teachers, their experience in transmitting knowledge and ensuring the success of each student, surpassing their limitations and helping them soar. However, in my personal opinion, I believe that a transition is necessary in order to bridge the gaps which exist today and will further develop in the future. The traditional methods of teaching have to evolve such that alternative career options in the fields of liberal arts, performing arts, sports, finance, hospitality, politics, law become known to students as early as high school. The subjects which are fundamental or common to any career option such as basics of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are critical to students only to a certain grade – in my experience 7th Grade. Beyond that point, it is critical to nurture and encourage the student’s passion and keen interest with associated choice of subjects in high school and undergraduate studies.
I can imagine that there are some sincere constraints in this approach. The sheer population of students in India poses an enormous challenge to create an ecosystem which will allow for such progressive and diverse subject choices at high school level. Add to that, the cost involved in ensuring that the infrastructure exists at grassroots level to enable this way of learning is bound to be enormous. Finally, the ultimate financial burden such modern curricula place on the parents in terms of tuition fees is detrimental to adoption of such methods at scale. In a country like India, there is a significant portion of rural population which comprises of first-generation learners (for instance a first time graduate in the family of daily laborers). This emerging segment of educated class in the society considers itself lucky to have attended school and now dream of a better life outside of the marginalized society that they grew up in. Unfortunately, it is understandable that people in this state have only just entered the playing field and therefore are, for no fault of theirs, oblivious to the rapid changes happening at a global stage.
So, the real responsibility lies on the shoulders of those endowed with the means to make a difference and with prior experience of working in a global economy to make wise choices about the next generation. It is true that the school, its teachers and the curriculum are instrumental in the development of a child’s personality. But that does not replace the responsibilities of the parents in ensuring that right choices are made in this regard as well as adequate time and effort is put into parenthood itself. School or college is only a subset of all the avenues that a child learns from. We cannot pass on our core responsibilities, as parents, of imparting vital education at home and creating good global citizens. We cannot expect the teachers and educators to bear all liability towards preparing the children for life – these lessons come from our actions at home and by guiding them in the right direction.
Personal experience as a parent:
This goes back to early part of 2019 when I was contemplating school options for him and trying to figure out which curriculum would be ideal for him. A counselling session with Ms. Fatema Agarkar at ACE was highly informative which led me to choose an IB school for my son. 4 years on, I can see the difference that has made to his growth as a genuine, honest, inquisitive and happy child who is able to balance learning with curiosity rather than forced learning. I am conscious of the fact that depth of learning for students depends on the involvement of the educators, teachers as well as parents. However, the key difference that I can witness is in the IB method of teaching is that it primarily focusses on the path taken by the student to solve a problem rather than judging the intellect of the student purely on pre-set benchmarks. Pre-set benchmarks and grading examinations tend to mechanize the learning exercise, ignoring the fact that there are more than one solution to a problem and each student views, feels, thinks and analyses the problem differently. In an ever-evolving world where differences of opinion are being met with ridicule, the IB method is teaching my young son to respect others’ views, understand the rationale, empathize with their situation and generally take a more balanced view which discourages conflict while encouraging collaboration. As a parent, it has also been a transformative journey which opened my mind to the key differences between my experiences growing up and the current state. With this expansive point of view, I have made peace with that fact that my child may choose not to become a doctor / engineer / astronaut / scientist etc – professions that many parents still respect more than others. But I also take pride and comfort in knowing that I will be a father to a mature, well learned, curious, empathic citizen of this world. Whatever the future may hold for him and his generation, he will be armed with relevant skills, education, cultural values, and moral integrity to make an impact as well as a fulfilling life for himself and his family.
