Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) & its Impact on Education
In trying to dissect the words of Philbeck, Davis and Larsen (2018) “Technology is neither good nor bad — it’s what you do with it that makes the difference”. It is important to first understand the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and why it is important to adopt or not to adopt. Just as the Third Industrial Revolution caused a significant transformation that enabled the creation of industries which culminated in the development of mobile telecommunication technologies, as well as the surge in mechatronics, renewable energy etc. 4IR is here to stay.
Conceptually, the 4IR deals with technologies that are largely building upon the technological advancements of the Third Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, 4IR represents new ways in which technologies are embedded into the fabric of our day to day lives, organisations and society.
Some of the new and emerging technologies that are shaping our current society across all disciplines, economies, industries and government institutions are Digital Currency (Blockchain), Robotics, Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR), Cloud Computing, Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning(ML), Robotics, 3D Printing, Internet of Things (IoT), Bioscience Technologies and Genetic Modification or Engineering.
Photo Credit : innovate.ieee.org
Despite the importance of 4IR, sometimes pundits tend towards the perceived negative impact of this technology. An example of this stereotype is the use of technology in building nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction that can lead to the mass extinction of the human race. But in the real sense if researchers and policymakers look critically at the benefits of the technological advancements most especially the breakthroughs that have been witnessed through the 4IR, it becomes pertinent to note that even though these technologies have their own downsides they have become a fundamental part of humanity and has remarkably advanced the civilisation of mankind. This is in agreement with the statements credited to Peter-Paul Verbeek (2013), that the real technocracy is achieved when technologies answer questions associated with human beings.
Philbeck et al., (2018) while looking at the moral role of technologies argued that technologies are a true reflection of the interests, behaviours and desires of their creators and that these technologies really shape the lives of the people using them. This is exactly the fears of Gillwald (2019) who asserts that 4IR is just sugar-coated as an emancipator that would provide an opportunity for economic growth, but the reverse is the case. Moreover, she stated that the introduction of the 4IR would rather further the wealth of the capitalist rather than provide solutions and succour for the poor.
This is understandable because according to a report that was written by Oxfam and published in the New York Times, eight men own half of the wealth of the planet, of which five of those men are in the tech industry. Unsurprisingly, some of these billionaires are also backing or sponsoring at least one of the 4IR Technologies.
For example, Quantum Computing is been backed by Microsoft, while the digital currency Libra is been spearheaded by Facebook. So, in a nutshell, the assertion by Gillwald, (2019) that developing countries are not yet ready for the 4IR, rather their focus should still remain on how to better the life and means of livelihood of its poor citizenry holds sway.
But on a flip side, Kupe (2019) started his dialogue from the angle of education while emphasising the need for our educational systems to be disrupted to meet up with the skill set required for the emerging technologies and the new era. And further emphasised the need for universities to position themselves as leaders of influence in the current changing dynamics of technological advancement. Also, Kupe (2019) argues that there are highly sought after jobs across many disciplines that require 4IR skills, but still emphasised that some skills or jobs may be at risk, which presupposes its critical impact in the creative destruction process.
Kupe (ibid.) made a strong case on the role education plays in this area. In fact, the universities most especially have to play an important function in churning out active citizens who would take up active roles and employment in the era of 4IR. The keynote of Kupe’s submission is that in the 4IR, there is no cause for alarm and there is light at the end of the tunnel. But a critical question that was not addressed by Kupe (2019) is, are we looking at a displacement feature? Because of the rapid advances of the 4IR which are fast eliminating jobs faster than we can create or are creating.
My position on the current discussion is that the 4IR is here to stay, and it is taking the planet by storm. Likewise, it is gradually and fundamentally transforming the way we live, work and govern ourselves by changing the structure of everything. In order to tap the potentials of these advancements as listed above, there is a need to regulate the 4IR innovations. This proactive step would limit the negative aspect of this technology, unlike the internet which started as a breakthrough technology but was left open and unregulated, which has caused the internet to become un-secure.
Also, regulators should assist in the development of policies to guide stakeholders in the design and implementation of 4IR innovations. This is because, the 4IR is actually one of the best things that have ever happened to humanity, which is consistent with some of the observations raised by Gillwald (2019) where she identified the issues that could be addressed using the right policies and regulations.
Conclusively, the 4IR has far reaching implications for education in Nigeria and its institutions. The world over, the concept of education is gradually changing, and expanding exponentially as disruption in the education sector is already taking centre stage. Before now, the outcome of educational systems was based on the training of factory workers who would sit down for long hours to undertake a task.
However, the narrative is gradually changing as we are experiencing a paradigm shift which is reinforced by a statement by Sidney (1924) where he empasised that “there must be an Industrial Revolution in education in which educational science and ingenuity of educational technology combine to modernise the grossly inefficient and clumsy procedures of conventional education”. This has caused a fundamental shift in the position of scholars and the opinion of the public with respect to the best mode of study. The widely held view now is that teaching and learning is not only limited to the classroom, and sitting for long hours as we are now able to learn anytime and anywhere.
Reference
Gillwald, A. (2019) South Africa is caught in the global hype of the fourth industrial revolution. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/south-africa-is-caught-in-the-global-hype-of-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-121189
Kupe, T. (2019) Universities are key to 4IR employment. Mail and Guardian. Retrieved from https://mg.co.za/article/2019-07-19-00-universities-are-key-to-4ir-employment
Philbeck, T. Davis, N., & Larsen, A.M.E. (2018). Values, Ethics and Innovation Rethinking Technological Development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. White Paper. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_WP_Values_Ethics_Innovation_2018.pdf
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World Economic Forum (2016) The Fourth Industrial Revolution, by Klaus Schwab. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/about/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-by-klaus-schwab
CUT Taskforce on 4IR+CE (2019). https://www.cut.ac.za/4ir-ce
Ramakrishna, Seeram, et al (2017) Smart Manufacturing, European Business Review (http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/smart-manufacturing/)
Schwab, K. (2016) Fourth Industrial Revolution, Penguin, UK.
Gleason, N. W. (Ed.). (2018). Higher education in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. Palgrave Macmillan.
Verbeek, Peter-Paul, “Resistance Is Futile: Toward a Non-Modern Democratization of Technology”, Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 17:1, 72–92, Winter 2013.
