21st Centuries Skills : Self - Learning

21st Centuries Skills : Self - Learning

Past few weeks most of us have seen advertisement of idea cellular's ‘IIN’, Idea Internet Network. Apart from common mistake like adding extra word like network with internet, adv tells many things. It gives us message of you can learn anything, without any constraints of social or financial or distance or learning pace. One might easily get carried away about how much people can learn and achieve. Yes, you can make -believe Indian consumers. Yes, you can sell any product in India if you have some quirky mind, loud the point voice and ability to show bigger dreams.

Never mind, I am not going to talk about advertisements and marketing here. My sole purpose is to put in front one of the unrated skill and underdeveloped skilled in India. IIN  adv. only relation with this article is pointing towards that skill, which educationalist has termed as self-learning. If any one has studied national policy documents of education, one will find high-level of importance given on developing abilities of self-learning. To quote from Yashpal Committee’s famous report ‘Learning without Burden’ of 1993

“…inadequate programmes of teacher preparation lead to unsatisfactory quality of learning in schools. The content of the programme should be restructured to ensure its relevance to the changing needs of school education. The emphasis in these programmes should be on enabling the trainees to acquire the ability for self-learning and independent thinking.”

It points importance of acquiring the ability of self-learning for teachers, so they can help children to develop the same. Not just in India, all over the world it has been kept as most essential skills of 21st century. Whether it is UNESCO or OECD, all of them have argued and made brilliant programs with lots of funding from world bank and other organization. With advent of Computers and Internet, it seems that we can achieve those target for Self-Learning. Still in reality picture is quite different. Instead of showing you a gloomy pictures and status of Self-Learning, I am showing you major problems one faces in self-learning. Problems which our education system fails to solve and we can make an attempt for solving it by understanding what is self-learning and doing self-learning.

Self-learning requires high level of motivation, a passion for learning. Passion for not just getting success and earning money but a hunger to learn, for joy of learning and to do something different. That comes when Individuals are allowed to learn what they truly want to learn or by those teacher who can inspire student to learn. How to Create and develop such an interest? Our society whose prime importance is clearing exams for success and money, will be able to provide freedom and environment where learning can take place?

Self-learning requires one to take responsibilities of one’s learning, from deciding what to learn? how to learn? when to learn? from whom to learn? and all other decision making in path of learning when you get choices. Do we [teenagers and youngsters] have a right or even say in this?

Self-learning requires better commitment, an unmatched discipline, sincerity, confidence on oneself and many other traits. Do We have such commitment and discipline within us?

- Vaibhav (27 May 2015)