Like billions of us all around the world, we’re sheltering-in-places, undergoing movement control orders, or lockdowns. The future looks grim, but bright because humans are resilient. Everywhere we look, we see devastation, uncertainty and some, violence. Here’s why I call this time the Great Reset.
A world shut down. Billions of people immobilized. The fabric of society, torn. But, you know what? Now is the best time for us to re-evaluate all that we have done, and come together to build a better future.
A stronger foundation. One that includes ALL of us.
I’ve also been inspired by the piece written by Marc Andreessen from VC firm Andreessen Horowitz — It’s Time to Build. It’s a great piece discussing what more we can do amidst the pandemic.
Part of the after-effects of this pandemic is deeper inequality in wealth. Millions of people around the world are out of jobs; leaving societies reeling to make ends meet just for the basics. To survive. To feed their families.
The top 20% of the country’s wealthy will most likely weather the storm, but what about the rest of the 80%? Soon, we will see a decline in income. Soon, we will see a stronger reliance on governmental resources. Are our governmental resources good enough? Are schools around the world tech-enabled enough to support ongoing education for every child? Does every child have access to a device to allow them to access education even if schools are tech-enabled?
The short answer is “No”. Here are the reasons why.
1) The Digital Divide
I know this for a fact as the digital divide in Southeast Asia is real and impacting millions of children across the region.
As a global society, we are considering depriving students of attending schools for at least a full academic year. The developmental cost of that to a Southeast Asian child is massive.
In countries where internet access is scarce/unstable, combined with the lack of devices, catching up will be more and more difficult for these families and children.
Every problem we see societally leads us back to 1 key thing — education. Investing in education is said to yield annual returns of 13% per child through better outcomes in education, health, employment and social behavior in the decades that follow.
— James Heckman, Nobel-winning economist
2) The broken public school system
For decades, our education systems have been broken. It has not adapted fast enough to the oncoming 4th Industrial Revolution (in fact, we’re already in it). This pandemic has just fast-tracked this world of automation. In this scenario, the public education systems will be left farther behind.
The debate on education systems have been going on for too long. The world is shifting faster than these arguments are being resolved. It is a multi-faceted problem. Schools are meant to prepare children for the future. If schools are stuck in the past with their methods of teaching, and what they’re teaching, schools are not meeting its expectations.
Curriculum: Today’s curriculum have to change to focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication and STEAM that are fit for the 21st century. Teaching children things that are going to be automated away is a waste of resources. It does not make sense to teach a child to compete with machines. Jack Ma agrees.
Teachers: The backbone of our education systems. Teachers need to spend less time on administrative work and more time actually teaching the kids. This means taking off that unnecessary load from them to allow them to get to know the children on a personal level and impart personalized teachings to them. The teaching profession in Southeast Asia needs to be valued more with the correct incentives and regard. Lastly, invest in our teachers. Train them and expose them to the latest in the science of development to better provide for our children and the country. Invest in them and you are investing in your children.
Ecosystem: Children learn beyond schools — the larger ecosystem plays a big role to complement the school system. The many touchpoints that will enrich a child’s life have to be looked into and improved. From the home, to nutrition, external classes, parks, public spaces, museums, and toys. The society plays a huge role in making this happen. It really takes a village.
Policy: This can all come together with a proactive and determined government that will put policies, legislations and budgets in place designed to radically change the country’s education and societal ecosystem. If we invested conservatively, the longer tail economic and labor costs will be a pricier one to pay.
If an education system fails our children, WE have failed our children. We have not done enough to provide them with the basic necessity of their lives — a good quality education accessible to all.
3) The wrath of COVID-19
At the time of writing, we are seeing 2.5 Million infections worldwide as reported by Johns Hopkins University (tracker here). The United States reported an unimaginable 22 Million jobs that were wiped out in just 1 month. Many more reports around the world have reported a spike in closed businesses and jobs lost. It is expected to persist through 2020 and possibly 2021.
With more families cash-strapped, we will see a drop in demand for enrichment classes, arts, tech education, and everything that were once considered a “luxury” for some. These classes are not cheap; they can go for thousands of dollars per child.
With that, a child’s education is at stake.
How you can help
As I mentioned earlier, humans are resilient. While it looks grim, now is a great time to build.
Get Informed
There’s an ocean of research by experts in education, economists and developmental psychologists available out there for your reading pleasure. To get you started, here are my recommendations:
Sir Ken Robinson — Do Schools Kill Creativity?
I’m also working on Maverick Edu. It’s a platform meant to bridge the gap in education by leveraging on tech and AI. I work with scientists, developmental psychologists and education experts to combine the science behind learning and ways we can efficiently teach every child to be a wholesome human. I also plan to partner with governments to bring this to 100% of the population; not just the top 20%.
If you’re interested in joining our community, I’ll be happy to chat!
or if you know of someone who will be interested, please pass it along. :)
Raise Awareness
It takes a village. Spread the word with friends and family! One of the keys to improving the education system is by demanding for more from our education systems.
Write a note to your local or state governor asking them on what they are doing to help improve the lives of the children in your area. Help them by sharing valuable insights by scientists and build the future with them. Get involved!
Leave No Child Behind
UNESCO has highlighted the costs of COVID-19 to a child — education, mental health and the longer term effects on the economy. Developing countries will bear the brunt of this and radical transformation is needed now more than ever.
I hope you will join me on this urgent and vital cause to redesign our education systems. Bring it back to when it serves its purpose to prepare our children and future leaders for the world in 2030 and beyond. For context, our current education system was created some 200 years ago. You do realize this is when mass manufacturing was something children went to school for.
I want to help create an education system we all wish we had growing up. We can do that for our children. Join me.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to send a message of solidarity to all fighting for equality across the spectrum — gender rights, climate change, LGBTQ+, bridging racial and religious divides, special needs and for the acceptance of all.
Keep fighting the good fight.
