Online Education Should Focus on Skill Development of Life-sustaining problems:
Experts have suggested that online education should also be linked and emphasis should be laid on the development of skills to solve life-threatening problems while reviving the education sector which suffered a great crisis due to COVID-19.
This was suggested by technical and non-technical scholars from Nepal, Thailand, and Norway in a webinar organized by Kalpa Academy Good Governance and Sustainable Development Center in collaboration with Kantipur City College on Saturday. It has been suggested to develop skills through 'virtual' education and change the current centralized examination system to remove the barrier to higher education due to COVID-19.
Man Prasad Wagle, a senior educationist and former dean of Kathmandu University described the state of higher education after COVID-19 and said that coordination among all institutions was needed. He called on all to prepare a roadmap for higher education after the epidemic.
Dr. Prahlad Karki, President of Kalp Academy, pointed out the need to bring all the stakeholders of higher education in one place and emphasize on how to make higher education and educational institutions sustainable even after the epidemic.
The program, supported by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the Sustainable Development Academy, was attended by more than 117 participants from various faculties from home and abroad.
Experts suggest that online education should focus on skill development of life-sustaining problems
Dr. Ramesh Kumar Maske, Professor of Nast and proposed Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology, discussed the challenges of online education in engineering and technical subjects. He highlighted how digital discrimination can lead to differences in knowledge, skills, and ideas in higher education.
Dr. Manish Pokhrel of Kathmandu University said that a new teaching style should be developed for bringing together all the stakeholders of higher education. He opined that the online teaching style and curriculum should be updated without continuing the old-style teaching. He pointed out the need for visionary leadership for higher education.
Media Professor Ram Krishna Regmi stressed on the need to strengthen the stakeholders of higher education against such obstacles of the future and develop a sophisticated teaching style of 'neo-normal' condition.
Citing a study, Khagendra Raj Dhakal of King Mongkut University in Thailand said that students seek continuity of education. He suggested giving importance to virtual space in student-centered higher education.
Dr. Devinder Thapa of Agder University in Norway said that this situation should be taken as an opportunity for a new step in higher education. He stressed on the need to make the curriculum environment friendly.
As a facilitator in the discussion, Abhas Dharananda Rajopadhyay said that this kind of ideological brainstorming would give novelty and inspire for the continuation of higher education in this situation of disaster.
