The Unfinished Classroom

EdTech And The Quest To Create A Future Compatible Education

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Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school — Albert Einstein

Nestled in the heart of India in a state called Uttar Pradesh (UP for short) is the village of Dhorra Maffi. This village shatters every stereotype associated with the word village. It’s greatest distinction is being the ‘most educated village in Asia’. As per The Logical Indian, it has a population of a mere 20,000 people but it boasts complete electrification, 24/7 water supply and a head of the village (Pradhan) who is a doctor by profession. It is also situated near the famous city of Aligarh which is a major hub in UP.

However, Dhora Maffi represents a light in an otherwise dark universe. As per The Washington Post, nearly 1.3 billion lack access to electricity. Nearly 600 million in Sub Saharan Africa and 300 million in India alone. Nearly 1 out of 7 people in Sub-Saharan Africa and 2 out of 10 in Asia do not have access to basic electricity.

In the western world, the debate is around changing the structure, content and delivery of education to deal with unemployment created by job displacement. In addition, the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) signals a fundamental shift in the labor market.

It would not be unfair to say ‘not all education is created equal’. There are people on this planet who need to be acquainted with electricity let alone computers while the rest of the world is busy imagining quantum computing and machine learning to deal with other issues such as an aging population and slowing growth and productivity.

Education Technology, clearly cannot solve all problems associated with education. Rather, it is part of a solution that includes enablers such as basic infrastructure and scalable solutions to rural and female literacy.

Globally, education is also deeply linked to poverty and unemployment. Solving for one problem without considering the complete cycle would lead to imperfect solutions.

This article is part of a mini-series that takes a comprehensive look at all possible solutions, including but not limited to…