IMPACT OF DIGITAL REVOLUTION

Across the globe, the pace of digital transformation is accelerating. It is redefining traditional industry sectors and the way we live and work. For example, few years ago, one had to go to a restaurant to eat the food of his choice, thanks to digital technologies now one can sit back on his couch and order his delicacies from the restaurant of his choice to be delivered at his doorstep that too in just a click away.

Until 1980’s there were hardly any televisions in every house, now each individual can watch his favorite shows in his convenient time in his place of choice. All these changes have taken place in a very short span of time. This clearly indicates the future to be more advanced and challenging for the generations to come.

What do researchers say about the need to cope up with this transformation?

A new report by the World Economic Forum, Realizing Human Potential in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, highlights that the present education systems are failing our children by not preparing them for the workplace of the future.

Researchers believe that by the time children leave education, as many as two-thirds of them will not have the skills required to get a job. They suggest an alignment of training curricula with market demand skills which are both job-specific and generic, such as problem-solving and project management. In Finland, one of the world’s top-performing nations in education, the curriculum is updated regularly. In Ghana, the US and France, schools are pioneering short courses in coding based on peer-to-peer teaching, project-based learning and gamification.