1. Education and Culture
Ms Dolon Gupta, an independent business Consultant specializing in Articulation in English, Intercultural Communication & Management, Acquisition of Natural Languages and Soft Skills.
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Educational institutions have been traditionally rooted in the cultural ethos of its location. In turn, the educational institution reinforces and strengthens cultural values of its ecosystem. In ancient times, the Gurukul system required unquestioned obedience and unchallenged acceptance of the Guru. All disciples lived in a community under the tutelage of the Guru and his spouse. Serving the guru was the ultimate privilege. This system reflected and fortified the conventional Indian values of a strong sense of hierarchy as well as respect and obedience towards elders. If we look at Hofstede’s path breaking research where he developed Cultural Dimensions as criteria to evaluate country-specific cultural habits, India scores 77% in Power Distance. This dimension signifies “an appreciation for hierarchy and a top-down structure in society and organizations.” 1 The score on Individualism is 48, which “means that there is a high preference for belonging to a larger social framework in which individuals are expected to act in accordance to the greater good of one’s defined in-group(s).”2 These studies were conducted in the late 20th century. The probability is extremely high that the score for Individualism would be much lower and the score on Hierarchy much higher had the studies been conducted when Gurkuls really existed. The Gurukul has long since been replaced by the modern education system that is largely based on the British education system. Britain scores 35 in Power Distance and 89 in Individualism – a contradicting approach to these two Values. We often hear that children who attend English-medium schools are prone to being ‘ arrogant’, do not learn ‘respect for elders’ and are usually ‘self-centred’ and so on, indicating a strong streak of individualism and focus on ‘self’ as opposed to the ‘collective’ will. It is possible that contrasting valuesystems are a cause – one being demonstrated at school and another at home. Since the 1990s, the doors of globalization have opened. India is emerging as a major economic power. Accordingly, education will need to be imparted appropriately to equip and enable the modern generation to function productively in a connected world. Not surprisingly, Indians parents are choosing the rapidly increasing population of ‘International Schools’ for their children with an objective of imparting an international exposure as early as possible. Cultural studies have increasingly transitioned towards a country-agnostic approach. Hofstede’s observations as well as subsequent research base cultural studies, primarily, on country-specific attributes. Latest studies have clearly shifted the axis and placed the individual, rather than nationality, at the centre. The Global DISC3 , a recent cultural assessment tool is a case in point. The reason is obvious. Today, an individual can be born in one country, go to school in another, work in a few more. Even if people never move out of the native country, they are still exposed to alternate thought processes and cultural values, from early on in life, thanks to the advancement of Communication Technology. In a globally connected world, one is required to work with multiple nationalities, as part of virtual teams, without ever moving out of one’s hometown. The world is organically moving towards global citizenry. The burning question is how education systems will address this changing cultural landscape, more so, in a world where most of the jobs, as we know today, will disappear in the coming years. The new professions that come up will themselves have a lifespan of a decade or two. One will, therefore, no longer be able to ‘complete’ one’s education before stepping into the professional world. One will have to keep exiting careers, learning afresh and re-entering the workforce on a continuous basis. According to reports, talent availability will be the primary criteria for hiring. Companies will hire across regions and geographies, wherever the required skillsets (both technical and behavioural) are available. On the behavioural side, jobs involving higher cognitive abilities, more social and emotional intelligence will be in demand -“Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.”5 We will be looking at a workforce that is increasingly distributed geographically and will be working in a collaborative manner. While we do not yet have complete clarity about the new jobs of the future, what we do know is that the workforce will, out of necessity of staying relevant, need to be lifelong learners with flexible mindsets. Adapting to change swiftly and constantly will be the norm. The following attributes, commonly referred to as the four Cs, will be key to the success of this process. • Critical Thinking • Creativity • Communication • Collaboration Guidelines exist on how these attributes can be incorporated in the education system. 5 However, adapting these guidelines for specific subjects, proficiency levels and audiences rests on the shoulders of teachers, who have to be creative in converting guidelines into classrooms activities to prepare students for a global society. Education and culture are inextricably intertwined. To develop citizens of an intrinsically connected future world, local cultural ethos will remain the start point, but along the way, it will broaden to embrace globally accepted norms and conventions.
References:
1. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country/india/
2. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country/india/
3. https://icq.global/intercultural-disc/
4. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2018.pdf (Future of Jobs Report 2018 published by World Economic Forum)
5. https://docplayer.net/12240-Preparing-21st-century-students-for-a-globalsociety.html (published by National Education Society)
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