Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic will spur future learning, says Union Higher Education Secretary

K. Sanjay Murthy was speaking ahead of the G20 education working group meeting that began in Chennai at the IIT-Madras Research Park on Tuesday

The COVID-19 pandemic and the experiences that it brought with it, form the core of the G20 education working group meeting, that begins in Chennai on Tuesday.

Learning hitches and the subsequent fall in learning capabilities of students across the world due to school closures helped decide the themes for the event, along with technology, which was thrust upon students, but remained uneven in its penetration, thereby significantly impacting learning.

The participating countries have identified four themes – foundational literacy and numeracy; more inclusive tech-enabled learning; skill development to promote life-long learning in the context of future of work and strengthening research and promoting innovation through richer collaboration and partnerships.

“We have selected four themes based on a consultative process with all the countries,” K. Sanjay Murthy, higher education secretary, Union Ministry of Education told The Hindu on Monday, dding: “We needed to bring back focus to see how we can arrive at a common goal or common institutional arrangement. It is not just for G20 countries: across the world, learning has suffered.”

Mr. Murthy was in Chennai to inaugurate the G20 education working group on Tuesday.

COVID-19 taught countries the delivery of knowledge through technology: be it the CoWin app [for India’s vaccination progeamme] or the Diksha portal [offers learning material] or Swayam platform [hosts courses]. “We need to see how this could be further collaborated upon for better efficacy in reaching the target (larger) population,” Mr. Murthy explained.

The pandemic also led to changes in work methods. “Our institutions need to focus on the need to train children and students on this future of work,” the Education Secretary said, giving example of how some countries had automated hotel check-in counters. “You need to be prepared if you want a job. I think this gives you an opportunity to deliberate, on the future of the job market,” he added.