– Dr Vaidyanathan Jayaraman Global Dean (UG) – Sydney, Singapore, Dubai and Mumbai, SP Jain School of Global Management
All top-notch schools have one thing in common – they ALL are student centric and place students in the front and center of every activity. By providing both intrinsic and external incentives, student engagement and motivation is the given the highest priority. It is common among schools in Asia to focus on the effort rather than one’s capability as the prime determinant of success – this could be in the form of examinations, quizzes and homework. However, one of the best practices that the Indian education model should borrow is from the Finnish system wherein the idea of discovery, self-direct learning and passionate engagement are encouraged and nurtured at a very early age.
Global and regional immersion practices and action learning are directed towards creating a higher level of exposure to the real corporate environment, and immensely enhances the employability and corporate readiness of the students. By incorporating teaching material such as Emotional intelligence, agility, Innovation and storytelling, students are coached to become job-ready managers from day zero.
Another global practice that can be borrowed by the Indian education system is to set ambitious, universal and unambiguous standards for all their students at a national or perhaps at international level. In Australia and Canada, standards are set to adhere to a national curriculum with a goal to ensure that schools in both the rural and urban areas have ample opportunity to pursue such high levels of excellence.
It is also important to put together an eclectic classroom environment where you get to learn with peers from all over the world. Imagine the experience they bring to the classroom, the tremendous contribution they make to the learning process as they come from multinational backgrounds, cultures and mindsets. Striving for classroom diversity helps you to accept, appreciate and adapt to multiple backgrounds where students become more empathetic, sensitive and professional in their approach to learning and life in general. Additionally, students learn better with peers. Students can also discuss concepts in pairs and can role-play – and then share what they understand with the rest of the class.
Some of the best practices that could be easily adopted and adapted by the Indian education system focuses on cognitive skills such as critical thinking, creativity and problem solving – the general idea is to go beyond memorization and mastery of academic content and include inter and intra-personal skills such as collaboration, communication, self-direction and increasing cross-cultural awareness. It is clear that all countries are facing huge challenges especially during this pandemic to adapt their education systems to the huge levels of transformations that is taking place around the world. The ones that succeed are the ones that are willing to be nimble, flexible and not afraid to take the “path less traveled” – that might indeed make all the difference and help the school to deliver an outstanding learning experience that truly takes the students on a transformation journey to become not just sophisticated but also responsible corporate citizens.
Also read: Management education needs to evolve to incorporate a global outlook: SP Jain Global Survey
