The future of education is here. Let’s shape it
We are living through history. Never in our lives have we ever seen so much change in so short a time. Our lives have become almost unrecognisable in a matter of weeks. Many of us are trying to get through this period as best as we can, looking forward to the time when things can get back to how they used to be. Many sectors in our society are on pause, waiting for normal life to resume. Yet education is different. Rather than being on pause, education is now in the fast lane.
In the homes of students, teachers, and school leaders across Dubai, our concept of education is undergoing extraordinary transformation. All formal learning has moved online. The traditional structures of a school day, punctuated by bells, lessons and breaks, are fundamentally changed. International exams have been cancelled.
Despite not being in the same room together, students and teachers are still finding a way to have meaningful exchanges. Despite not having specified lesson and break times, students and teachers are still finding a way to keep up with the curriculum. Despite not having final exam grades, universities are still finding a way to offer students places. Employers are still finding a way to hire them.
Just six weeks ago, any one of these changes would have been unimaginable. Today, we must be able to imagine the possibilities these changes offer.
For years we’ve talked about innovation in education, and many schools and universities across Dubai have begun truly innovative practices. Yet it’s one thing to be innovative when things are going well; quite another when times are so uncertain.
The real test of innovation in Dubai, and the real test of leadership in education, is happening right now. We are being handed opportunities that may never come again. We can choose to take them and lead the future of education, or we can leave them, and go back to how things used to be.
Behavioural science tells us that the best time to make change is in times of upheaval. If you want to start exercising regularly, do it when you’ve just changed jobs. If you want to eat healthier, do it when you move house. If you want to upgrade the industrial-age structures of education, do it when life is turned upside down.
Already, we can see major changes happening. In homes across Dubai, parents are gaining insights into their children’s learning that they’ve never had before. Some want to continue engaging with their children at this level.
Teachers are structuring their time around the academic and emotional needs of their students, rather than the demands of timetables and classroom management. Older students are becoming more independent and responsible for their own learning. In the process, they are practising their skills of resilience, of kindness, and of problem-solving. School operators are considering more flexible business models that will enable them to enrol students who will learn at home some or most of the time.
The processes and policies to truly innovate in education already exist. Two years ago, we launched Rahhal — our vision for the future of education in Dubai. Rahhal is part of the Dubai 10x initiative to take Dubai 10 years into the future in just two years. Through the platform of Rahhal, many schools and parents have challenged the traditional structures and regulations of education.
Students who dream of becoming Olympic champions are using the Rahhal platform to train full time, knowing they have the support of their school. Other students are using Rahhal to condense their school week to three and a half days, so that they are free to spend the remaining one and a half days pursuing their passions. Rahhal offers schools, parents, and student an almost infinite number of possibilities to do education differently. The current situation has shone a light on these possibilities. Now, it’s up to schools to take them up.
We are able to look unwaveringly towards the future because we stand on the solid foundations of the present. These foundations are made of the passion and commitment of teachers who have worked tirelessly to make sure our children’s learning continues uninterrupted. As much as we clap for healthcare workers, we should also put our hands together to appreciate every teacher and school leader who is making the distance learning experience a positive one for parents and students.
One day, this will all be over. We look forward to the doors of schools and universities across Dubai being flung open once again. We look forward to sharing the same spaces and meeting in the same places.
But we don’t look forward to things getting back exactly how they used to be. Instead, we look forward to embracing the possibility of how things could be. The future of education has arrived. It’s up to each of us to help shape it.
The real test of innovation in Dubai, and the real test of leadership in education, is happening right now. We are being handed opportunities that may never come again.