It’s rat race to get to the best school, best teachers, best tuition, best results, best universities hoping for the best jobs. In most cases parents makes the worst choices for the future success of their children as the popular Education options are all part of a broken system
The Dark Tunnel of Sri Lankan Education
- 300,000* plus children sit the 5 year Scholarship, only 30,000* qualify for a so called ‘Good School’ , but most get their creativity wiped out at age nine
- Anther 300,000* sit for A./L, only 30,000* get admitted into a local University and most overlook preparing for real jobs and entrepreneurship
*Numbers are approximate
This dark education tunnel has a pinhead exit and most get stuck and squash in the process
In the process our parents spend an Rs.25 Billion on Private Tuition in pursuit of the ‘mirage of success’ The end result ‘Sri Lanka Remains in the 89th Position in the Global Innovation Index with India at 62nd and Rwanda an 65th, ‘ A country with one fifth of p/e income of Sri Lanka
‘Good School Gives Good Jobs’, is not always true !
You’ve heard of the prestigious Harvard College , but surely not about Harvey Muddy College. In reality when Harvey Muddy grads earn $157,400 by mid-career, according to Pay Scale (Click link https://www.marketwatch.com/story/grads-from-this-small-little-known-college-make-way-more-than-ivy-league-grads-2018-09-24 )
It’s $142,600, respectively, for Harvard grads.
So time to stop chasing the flawed dreams
2 billion jobs that exist today will disappear by 2030,
That’s roughly 50% of all of jobs worldwide as per Cathy N. Davidson, Duke University. Many Industries such as below won’t exist in 20 years
Don’t expect jobs to exist in, print media ,travel agencies accountancy photo finishing, tobacco smoking , apparel knitting, postal service, front line branch banking
Most future jobs are yet to be advertised
65% of children started their first year of school in 2016 will end up doing jobs that don’t even exist today.
Don’t expect see any job adverts today for simulation Specialist, data Transmission optimizer, super baby psychologists, impact assessor, material expert or green energy expert
Employment Or Entrepreneurship
Most parents develop their child with popular jobs in mind , Doctor, Lawyer, Engineers and rarely develop children to take up entrepreneurship.
Creativity, risk taking ability , problem solving and communications etc. are not a priority in school based education and this limits the options for many of our youth .
What should Parents do ?
Understand the success formula. It’s called ASK , Attitudes , Skills & Knowledge , Not just basic knowledge overload that is tested in an exam, but rounded development of competencies. The below article by Bernard Marr on Forbes gives a good list of Skills/Competencies for future
The 10 Skills for the Future of Work
1. Creativity
Robots currently can’t compete with humans on creativity. The future workplace is going to demand new ways of thinking, and human creativity is the key to it.
2. Emotional intelligence (EQ)
A person’s ability to be aware of, control and express their own emotions as well as being cognizant of the emotions of others describes their emotional intelligence.
3. Analytical (critical) thinking
A person with critical thinking skills can suggest innovative solutions and ideas, solve complex problems using reasoning and logic and evaluate arguments.
4. Active learning with a growth mindset
A person with a growth mindset understands that their abilities, intelligence and limitations, therefore, take on challenges, learn from mistakes and actively seek new knowledge.
5. Judgment and decision making
While machines and data can process information and provide insights that would be impossible for humans to gather, ultimately, a human will need to make the decision recognizing the broader implications.
6. Interpersonal communication skills
The ability to exchange information and meaning between people will be a vital skill during the 4th industrial revolution.
7. Leadership skills
While today’s typical organizational chart might not be as prevalent in the future, individuals will take on leadership roles on project teams or work with other employees to tackle issues and develop solutions.
8. Diversity and cultural intelligence
individuals need the skills to understand, respect and work with others despite differences in race, culture, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, political or religious beliefs, etc.
9. Technology skills
The 4th industrial revolution is fueled by technological innovations such as artificial intelligence, big data, virtual reality, blockchains, and more. This means that everyone will need a certain level of comfort around technology.
10. Embracing change
Due to the speed of change in the future workplace, people will have to be agile and able to embrace and celebrate change. Covid-19 got the whole world thinking about it
The below work done by Delloit builds on it and classifies it as ‘Requirements’ & Characteristics
‘Requirements’ are employment-related attributes that can be acquired and/or developed through training and experience, such as specialist knowledge and skills. ‘Characteristics’ are long-term and/or innate attributes that influence performance and the capacity of individuals to acquire or develop knowledge, skills and abilities
Once again creativity and social intelligence comes on top as almost exclusively mass competencies, which are already important for many occupations and are likely to gain in importance . The exact two competencies that our broken education system dampens from the year 5 scholarship
Power of Creativity
Creativity involves creating something new: it includes solving complex problems that require non-standard solutions. Where creative decision-making and flexible problem-solving are important in an occupation, humans will continue to have an advantage over machines in the future. Employees who have good basic competencies alongside a high level of creativity are therefore likely to be well-equipped for the future.
Two Books every Parent should read
How Children Learn Fifty years ago John Holt woke the dreary world of educational theory by showing that for small children “learning is as natural as breathing”. his brilliant observations are as true today as they were then. Over one million copies were sold worldwide in the decades that followed. Today Holt’s wisdom is needed more than ever.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
The book explodes the myth that you need to earn a high income to become rich and shows parents why they can’t rely on the school system to teach their kids about money and entrepreneurship. Importantly the book teaches you what to teach your kids about money for their future financial success
Why An Education on Business could help
While the National Policy \meaningful Education Reforms will take time , parents have a role to play to make the most of the current context . If your children are below 12 years there any many options to improve their Creativity and STEM Learning (Science, Technology,Engineering, Math) coupled ethics . For older teens and youth it’s good idea to get a Business Education with Global outlook that appreciates the technology & digital trends . Most of our youth will be involved in business , work for one or start their own and this foundation will rarely go wasteand transferable across industries and boundaries