9th HEF conference panel discussion: Unlearn and relearn is the new way to learn

The panel discussion on Skills and Corporate Academic partnership highlighted the need to unlearn in order to relearn various aspects of education space. Panelists addressed the need for change in syllabus and curriculum to bring about a transformation.

A lack of practical training is being witnessed currently in the entire education and industry scenario as per the panelists. Shravan Kadvekar, Director of Symbiosis Skills and Open University, said, “We should provide machinery and equipment to students; and schools and colleges should have updated setups. Industry will not welcome students who are skilled but possess knowledge of outdated systems.”

Unlearning traditional methods is the way forward. Manjiri Joshi, President of Global Talent Track, said, “Problem solving, reasoning and analysis is the new way to deal with issues which can help students gain jobs. We got to unlearn the traditional ways to adopt new methods of dealing with problems. Whenever we spot a problem at work or in college, students should analyse it, find multiple solutions and also figure out the cost of the solution.”

While skills are required in any kind of job which students take up and students should be well aware of this. Rajesh Khajuria, HEF-Gujarat Founder, said, “The world is my school. Skill development begins in early childhood. Practical approach in all forms of education can help a student to face various challenges of life.”

The industry should take interest in students and commercial outlets should find their way to campuses of various educational institutions. Suhas Kadlaskar, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Human Resources of Mercedes-Benz, India, said, “Soft skills are not learnt in schools and colleges. Students should be provided with industry exposure while they are studying so that they get a practical first-hand experience of the application of what they are learning.”