Institutional Steps Towards “KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY”- LIFELONG LEARNING CENTERS
Background:
1. Extract from guidance on TEACHING, LEARNING, NETWORKING:
- a. ”It has been said that the Internet is the most important development for education since the invention of the printing press. But for now it is grossly underused for educational purposes. Universities around the world should take on the task of developing educational materials, resources and programmes for the Internet. They should add their voices to critics of regulations and policies that impinge on the use of the World Wide Web for educational purposes in favour of commercial interests.“ 22 April 2001.
- b. “Healthy communities must respect a range of erducational choices ... The Ummah must become full and even leading participants in the Knowledge Society of the 21st Century. That will mean embracing the values of collaboration and coordination, openness and partnership, choice and diversity -- which will under-gird the Knowledge Society, learning constantly to review and revise and renew what we think we know -- learning how to go on learning. In the age of the Internet, knowledge is universally shaped, universally accessible, and universally applied. And successful institutions of learning must be global institutions.... In the Knowledge Society, productive research is most often partnership research ... sharing agendas and exchanging insights. New knowledge is a constantly unfolding gift of God -- but it is rarely something that is achieved in isolation."
- c. "It is quite clear that both in India and Pakistan we have to find now a much more vigorous solution to the problems of education, and there are problems not only in access because the figures are very large indeed; it is also an issue of quality, and it probably is going to become an issue of curriculum. There is a national curriculum in all these situations and you have to teach the national curriculum, but there are additional needs in my view to educate the Jamat which need to be offered in our school system so that our children will be better equipped for the decades ahead. That is one priority issue we need to look at." 28TH NOVEMBER 2002.
- d. “To position the Jamat correctly for the next decades. serious issues and for you to understand where I would like the Jamat to be, Insha-Allah, in the world in 10 years, 15 years, 20 years.” 13 December 2008
- e. “Development is sustainable only if the beneficiaries become, in a gradual manner, the masters of the process.
- This means that initiatives cannot be contemplated exclusively in terms of economics, but rather as an integrated programme that encompasses social and cultural dimensions as well. Education and skills training, health and public services, conservation of cultural heritage, infrastructure development, urban planning and rehabilitation, rural development, water and energy management, environmental control, and even policy and legislative development are among the various aspects that must be taken into account.” 7 SEPTEMBER 2002.
- What is Knowledge Society? Click on this link UNESCO Digital Library
- Analysis: In the digital age world class education as well as skills are universally accessible as such depending on BRICK and MORTAR facilities of questionable standards will fail to prepare competitive HR for a global world. There is definite need for reorientation towards methods and facilities made accessible by technology. Readers can visit the following post to get a better idea of my advocacy:
KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY INITIATIVE - Life Long Learning Centers for Developing Human Resources through free World Class Education at the Doorsteps
A blog towards a vibrant and competent civil society - the cornerstone of a healthy and prosperous nation, committed to the public good.
hisamullahbeg.blogspot.com
KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY INITIATIVE - Life Long Learning Centers for Developing Human Resources through free World Class Education at the Doorsteps • hisamullahbeg.blogspot.com
Open Source Resources
- MOOCS and its popularity: Saying “MOOCs have taken India by storm” would be an understatement; anyone with an INTERNET connection can now access free university classes from Harvard, Stanford, MIT to India’s own IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology) and ISB (Indian School of Business). Access to higher education in India will no longer be bound by arduous entrance exams, limits on student enrollment, or the availability of money and time. The number of internet users in India has reached 462 million (with a penetration rate of 35% of the total population), and it currently represents the second largest national group enrolled in MOOCs after the USA. In this context, the Government of India is striving hard to leverage the potential of the higher education sector to reach more students and to build a knowledge-based society through a more intensive and optimized use of technology.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has introduced the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) which aims to benefit all learners enrolled in higher education institutions. The Mission’s objectives are to promote e-content generation, increase connectivity of institutions and learners, and provide open educational resources, such as virtual laboratories and learning platforms, as well as online testing and certification. It aims to increase the online availability of teachers, and to improve training so as to empower teachers to use new learning methods.
Thanks to these advances in India specifically IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology) and ISB (Indian School of Business), have made majority of these courses also available to every home in our region freely through the satellite receiver Breathing Life Into Outdated Curriculum - these can easily be recorded on a USB at one receiving station e.g. at the idea demonstration station at my home in Hunza and distributed to all desirous of acquiring compatible knowledge and skills in a global world.
4. READILY AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES: KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY INITIATIVE - Life Long Learning Centers for Developing Human Resources through free World Class Education at the Doorsteps
EDUCATION AND SKILLS IN DIGITAL AGE - EVERY HOME A UNIQUE WORLD CLASS UNIVERSITY – HOW
A blog towards a vibrant and competent civil society - the cornerstone of a healthy and prosperous nation, committed to the public good.
hisamullahbeg.blogspot.com
EDUCATION AND SKILLS IN DIGITAL AGE - EVERY HOME A UNIQUE WORLD CLASS UNIVERSITY – HOW • hisamullahbeg.blogspot.com
Idea demonstration model at my home is working since 2013 (also a limited model in Central JK Baltit). This can be replicated in each of WO/VO as well any home without waiting for external inputs.
5. Integration of outernet (New - OTHERNET) makes every home a world class university. For a demonstration you can visit the model project at my residence in Hunza.
- Welcome development, Chinese establish six state of the art lifelong learning centers and open universities in GB towards development of HR in the global world. Propose the LSOs and Institutions in the area must motivate populations to avail these Facilities.
Recall the fourteen facilities established by AKDN in 2010 through the Education department as well.
Integrate these to provide free of cost knowledge and skills to every household thereby developing an innovative human resource throughout the region.
- TECHNIQUES:
1. Google for Education:
- Drop Box:
- Red spider software
- PRACTICAL STEPS: Many of the VO/WO's in our region have savings running into a few million each. Rs. 50,000/00 safe investment in a project doable in seven days can be accomplished to provide electricity for 3 to 4 hours each day and a single distant learning/telemedicine station (DATA DRIVEN HEALTH CARE) to a cluster of ten households. Idea demonstration project running in Khurukushal khan WO under BRSO since 2013. This can be replicated in each of WO/VO without waiting for external inputs.
- RELATED: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000245656
- https://khanacademy.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040167432-How-can-Khan-Academy-be-used-for-remote-learning-during-school-closures-?fbclid=IwAR1gDx3hMF61zsnDfldA4wgRhwDwuigL_s3qPrCzkr3RoY_0SXcpo1aQsIE
- https://www.youtube.com/khanacademy