Mangaluru teen Munaz sings ‘Zaalima’ cover with singers across countries

Education sector is set to witness one of the biggest changes in its history in the coming future in India. Emerging trends will help shift the curriculum from strictly marks based to one which takes into account a student’s overall development. Efforts are being made to make education more industry based as most of what students currently study is not something which they use when they join companies. 

The New Education policy aims to provide free education to girls, develop world class industrial workforce that is at par with global standards and provide spiritual learning for sound mental health. With the help of technological tools teachers will be able to instill and home more creative and independent thinking, problem solving and soft skills among children which have a direct impact on their ability to find good jobs in the corporate world.

Technology has already been the catalyst in overcoming some of these challenges and is now all set to underpin the emerging trends in education which will cater to the demand of individuals, learners, institutions and the industry in general. Some of the education trends powered by technology will be Augmented Reality and Gamification, Interest based learning, social and emotional learning, self paced learning, Internet of things (IoT), Block chain and the use of LTE chrome books. 

Here are the views of some of our education experts on the future of education industry in 2020 and beyond:

Dr. Narendra Shyamsukha, Founder & Chairman, ICA Edu Skills

Vocational training in India is all set to see a rise with many virtual and augmented reality simulations helping students learn and practice job skills that will result in direct employment. Vocational training courses will not only enable students to acquire different techniques but will come in handy if students want to get that extra skill which gives them an upper hand over other candidates while appearing for job interviews. Vocational training in institutes and schools will help reduce the burden on regular curriculum as education itself will become more diversified with students focusing not only on theoretical study but also on the other aspects. This will help those students in particular who have not completed primary or secondary education and have entered workforce age without these credentials.  Vocational courses require no particular experience and can be completed in a short duration and with greater use of technology in the coming years it will be way easier to impart the teachings that will enable students to get industry based jobs. 

Dr. RL Raina, Vice Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur

The overall education system in India is all set to undergo a massive change in 2020 and beyond as both government-based and private educational institutions like schools and colleges will embrace technology to provide new methods of learning to students. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), among others will equip students with skill sets and competencies that they can employ on the job and in the industries that they choose to work with. It is not news that India has an acute shortage of teachers at elementary, secondary and even at the higher levels of education. Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) of the Government of India states that there is a shortage of over a million teachers across the country. And, the usage of these new technologies in Indian classrooms is the need of the hour. The growing penetration of mobile phones in the country has helped students learn anywhere and at any time, which has prompted institutions to use digital tools for teaching as they help students learn at their own pace without feeling the pressure to match their peers. This will help every student form a basic understanding of the main concept which is crucial to the subject. The new trending technologies of today will also play a massive role in breaking down difficult concepts to students with the help of live examples, the details of which they can pay close attention to, thanks to unprecedented developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).  

Mr.Rachit Jain, Founder & CEO,Youth4Work

The New Year will be considered as a silver lining for the Indian job market. About 41% of respondents said the job market will be positive in the Year 2020. The major hiring trends for 2019 were automation, artificial intelligence and were more driven by niche skills, new-age positions and roles. Though the initial quarter of 2020 looks little gloomy since the GDP growth has gone down and the organisations are being cautious for their expansions or new initiatives, the second half of the year looks promising in terms of job opportunities of the companies resume looking at business expansion and new initiatives. In terms of salary and increments, various HR firms and experts believe the year 2020 will see a muted activity. According to the latest Q3 2019 Salary Budget Planning Report released by Willis Towers Watson, salaries in India are projected to rise 10 per cent in 2020, marginally higher than the actual increase (9.9 per cent) in 2019.

The Bharatiya Janata Party workers belonging to Muslim community are bewildered over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act. A considerable number of BJP’s Muslim workers have distanced themselves from the pro-CAA meetings being organised by the party in different parts of India.

There is a deep divide within members of the BJP minority wing, with many upset and angry with the party. During its membership drive in 2018 for the minority wing, BJP had enrolled lakhs of Muslims across India.

A senior Muslim member of the saffron party in Hyderabad explained, “We are very upset. There is no one listening to us within the party. Majority of the members are introspecting on their future role in the party. Few are vocal about it. Those, who believe they still have a future in the party, have decided to keep quiet on this issue.”

This is the reason why they are not attending the pro-CAA rallies or interacting with people. If anybody approaches and questions them about CAA, they maintain they have no idea, just like the common man. A member of the BJP belonging to the minority community says they have been hurt by the decision of the government on CAA.

“Shia Muslims in Pakistan are suffering. They have been targeted in that country from time to time. The BJP patronised a large number of Shia Muslims. The Shia community in Uttar Pradesh even sided with the BJP. But what has the community got in the end? The persecuted Shia minorities in Pakistan have not got justice,” the party member from minority community lamented.

There are 400 families belonging to the Shia community in Hyderabad, who have relatives in Karachi and Quetta in Pakistan. These Shias had migrated to Pakistan from the Nizam state after its accession to India. These families were hopeful that after aligning with BJP, there would be a reprieve for them. But the stand taken by BJP has left them in lurch. The CAA provides for granting Indian citizenship only to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

“We have been left with nothing. Shias have not been politically active in all the three countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and have suffered due to this reason. There was some hope in India, but even that has been lost now,” the minority wing leader remarked.

National vice president of BJP minority cell Farid Sheikh Liaquat Ali says, “Party workers and common people are asking the same question.”

I have told them what union home minister Amit Shah has said in Parliament, that CAA is not against Indian Muslims. But people are not convinced. Every meeting or social function that I attend, I find that people are angry and upset. I have been with the BJP for 33 years and whatever I hear from the people is being conveyed to the party.”

The incident that occurred at the madarasa in Uttar Pradesh has led to a pointed question: “If this can happen to Muslims in UP, will it not repeat elsewhere?”

With the steep hike in excise duty in the past couple of months, an average consumer of petrol now pays over 275% in taxes to centre and states on a litre of the fuel.  The base price of petrol is just about Rs 18. The taxes are close to Rs 50 and the pump price is over Rs 72.

India imports 85% of all its crude oil demand.  After a steep hike in excise duty in the past two months despite a hold on daily price revisions by the oil public sector undertakings (PSUs), Indian consumers now pay 275% collectively in excise duty to state and centre. 

The central government hiked excise on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 and Rs 13 respectively last month. The excise duty on petrol is taxed around Rs 33-a-litre while the same on diesel it is Rs 32.

The Value-Added Tax (VAT) on both petrol and diesel is Rs 16.44 and Rs 16.26 respectively. Both the taxes together are around Rs 49 while it is sold at petrol pumps at 73-per-litre.

These two taxes cumulatively account for 69% of tax which is higher than anywhere else in the world. The same is taxed at 19% in the US, 47% in Japan, UK 62% and 63% in France. The government does not pass on the benefit of lower crude oil prices to the customer.

It is to be noted that Indian consumers continued to pay Rs 70-a-litre even when crude oil prices hit a paltry US $ 20-a-barrel on April 12.

Former finance minister and Congress leader recently took a jab at the Centre over rising prices stating, “Fuel selling prices raised twice in two days, following tax hikes two weeks ago. This time to benefit oil companies. Government is poor, it needs more taxes. Oil companies are poor, they need better prices. Only the poor and middle class are not poor, so they will pay”.