How Canadian International School is Preparing Students for the Future In terms of trends in this industry in the coming years, Sastri sees a convergence of offline and online education systems

With over 29 per cent of our population in the age group of 0-14 years, the one essential element that will determine the growth of the country is its education. The education sector of India has witnessed a massive growth with a boost provided by the technology. We spoke to Shweta Sastri, Executive Director, Canadian International School, as she shares her thoughts on how their school is bringing about a change.

Preparing for the Future

Sastri believes that schools need to be adaptive and focus on student learning outcomes because they are preparing them for jobs that don't even exist today. Today, private schools are aspiring to be better by adopting the latest teaching methodologies. "However, government schools are still using archaic, age-old traditional teaching methods that revolve around "cFhalk and talk'. It suppresses the creativity and originality in students," she says.

Innovation is Driving Education

The role of an educator is to envision the challenges that students might face a decade from now, and prepare them for the same. "The answer lies in not making students toil harder, but in empowering them to learn smarter by integrating technology in classrooms," says Sastri.

Sastri believes that an essential aspect of integrating technology will also be creation as opposed to just consumption of knowledge.

"For instance, we opened a Maker Space officially in August 2016, providing a place for students to explore construction, robotics, and media creation," she explains. At Canadian International School, technology is being used in the classrooms to effectively to improve performance. The effective use of technology in the classrooms requires a cultural shift from "teaching" to "learning". "Being India's first Apple Distinguished School, we have leveraged iTunes courses to successfully transition to a curriculum that is focused on creating knowledge," she says.

The Changes We Need

According to Sastri, India's education system needs to move towards "If we recognize creativity and innovation, we will set students up for success. The education system should aim at creating thinkers, entrepreneurs, innovators rather than robots," she says.

The future of education technology will play a major role in shaping India's education sector in the coming years. Sastri believes that the biggest challenge today is the accessibility of education at the grass root level. To solve this problem of accessibility, various participants in the industry are working on ideas and avenues to take education online. "Government initiatives like Skill India and Digital India will go a long way in boosting online education and improving access to quality education," she says.

(This article was first published in the March issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)