Anoop Bishnoi - Development of education and employability in India The Global Pandemic COVID-19 has changed our lives in many more ways than we could’ve ever imagined, especially for the students. The massive disruptions in the education of crores of school children due to multiple re-opening and closures of schools in the past two years are the biggest example of it. Although it’s a matter of grave concern, what’s following is even more concerning. It has been recently reported that our country is observing an alarming rise in dropout rates of school students. The problem doesn’t end here, India is facing a skill and employment challenge as many young people are not receiving the training they need to keep pace with the changing demands of employment – they are unable to identify which skills they’re going to need for future job opportunities.
In a scenario like this where vocational training and practical knowledge appear as the utmost necessity for the present curriculum, there’s a district in Punjab that has been following this very model even before this need arrived. In Distt Fazilka, Punjab, a school established under the family foundation of Mr. Anoop Bishnoi, an entrepreneur and philanthropist; education has taken a new shape – to acquire relevant skills. Anoop has always imagined education as a tool to solve societal inequities, and that is only possible if it serves a purpose. For this very reason, the schools that have been running under his guidance have always prioritized skill development from adolescence. To understand his ideas and philosophies, and to understand what he thinks about the present educational model, we recently got in touch with him for a
quick conversation, and here’s what he has to say, “As we all know, the major part of teaching and learning now happens online, which is great as it opens new horizons to explore and learn in a global setup, but at the same time, it has brought some challenges for us too – like the digital divide, and lack of practical knowledge. Anything can be found on the internet, but certain things can’t be experienced or learned by sitting in front of our laptops. I believe that the employment market at present requires diverse and more complex skills than ever before, and it is going to get even more complex in the future…for an economically stable and successful generation of future earners, the present learners have to be prepared accordingly and for that, skill development should be prioritized during schooling.” No doubt that this pandemic has shown us some of the most challenging times, but it has also brought forward some of the most concerning issues that should have been discussed before but weren’t. The coming generation of young people is the future of our nation; they should be the most skilled and the best-educated ones. After all, if no proper action is taken now then our future might fall into wrong hands, as we reap what we sow. Know more about Anoop Singh Bishnoi