“India needs to Take Teaching More Seriously, Geoffrey Fisher”

Plunged into education through a combination of family tradition and accident, he and his many generations have been involved in education. He was one of the six heads of school within the last three generations. “The world is becoming more global, cultural barriers are getting smashed and an International baccalaureate is crucial for such times,” said Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, a British and Australian citizen, and Head of the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad.

In an interview talking about the difference between disruptive and incremental innovation Geoffrey Fisher said,” By disruptive innovations I mean the mobile phones that can change everything. Incremental innovation is something that gradually improves things.”

The Dire Need

“ I see in education”, he continued, “there is no disruptive innovation available at the moment. What is interesting is that Education is the only industry where there is yet to be a truly disruptive innovation. There has been no technological change that can revolutionise the education sector. It has always been about better classroom, better learning, better teaching but not a better complete change.”

Highlighting the scenario at Aga Khan Academy, Dr. Fisher said, “We are a school which is the most economically diverse in India. We take students from across the diversity that India represents; from the very well established to the poor.”

 “At Aga Khan, we are generating ethical leaders for the future of India”, added the academician.

From the Past to the Future

Entrepreneurship is inculcated in Indian culture. India is a nation of entrepreneurs; we teach Entrepreneurship and leadership in terms of how they develop their own skills and I am sure that the skills can be a part of entrepreneurship or any social endeavor involved. Students will be interested in taking their skills forward through the lens of leadership and the lens of service to others.

India is country of extremes and endlessly fascinating. I have loved India since I first set foot here in 1981 and feel privileged to be able to play a small role in helping this extraordinary country build a solid foundation for its future.

He is of the opinion that, “I think Indian Education system is having a series of problem which is more demanding than any other system in the world. We talk about the youth dividend in India. But we are also facing the youth responsibility- a quarter of the world’s workforce of 2035 is Indian and is currently in India being educated.”

The Buzzword

Innovation has become a word which is used as a buzzword without owing to the actual meaning of it. For me, Dr. Fisher stressed,"Innovation is about taking sustainable action which has an ongoing sense of change about it. Therefore it is not a question of thinking about new ideas or of making change. It is in fact about learning from others and adapting them."

Do we need more innovation?

 “We need to be committed to all of the future of humanity that we encounter, not just think about our own family or community but be there in pluralistic sense for all communities.”, said Dr. Geoffrey Fisher.

India needs to take teaching more seriously in order to make sure that learning becomes more effective and students are closer to reaching their potential.