Online classes only short-term response: Nilekani

The rapid shift to teaching and learning activities online  prompted by closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic is only a “short-term response” and we need to fundamentally reimagine schools as a resilient system which can function under continuous turbulence, according to Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani.

Classroom should not be the only location, teacher the only facilitator and textbook not the only medium, is the roadmap laid by Nilekani for a “resilient” school system while delivering the keynote address at a virtual conference on ‘Future of Schools: Overcoming COVID-19 challenge and beyond’ organsied by Ashoka University.

   

“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,” said Nilekani, who is also co-founder of EkStep Foundation.

The foundation extends learning opportunities to Indian children through a collaborative, universal platform that facilitates creation and consumption of education.

“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,” he added.

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