Preparing students for the future: Integrating AI and robotics into the curriculum

September 26, 2024

NEW DELHI – Higher education: A great common denominator

What is higher education? What is its purpose? I quote from UNESCO, “Higher education is a rich cultural and scientific asset that enables personal development and promotes economic, technological and social change. … It equips students with the skills needed to meet ever-changing labour markets. It is a passport to economic security and a stable future.” That is exactly why any higher educational institute (HEI) wants to create an ecosystem that will make our students survive through the challenges of the future.

How challenging is the future job market? Let us retrospect and review the last few years. In these years, the change in workplaces has been disruptively rapid compared to a gradual evolution that we are used to witnessing. The future appears to be harsher. The rate of change is only going to accelerate. The shortage of skilled employees is getting larger. Expectations of Gen Z employees are constantly changing. The final touch on the whole saga is provided by a series of transformative new technologies. In a nutshell, the workplace has witnessed an unforeseeable revolution.

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future of Jobs Report, 44 per cent of worker skills will be disrupted over the next five years, with analytical skills, creative thinking, and technological literacy among those in the greatest demand. It is predicted that six in ten employees will require further skills training. The question is: Wherefrom will they learn the required skill?

Why and how are the higher education institutes (HEI) going to change the trusted path they have tread for centuries? After all, HEIs are known for ages to foster and inculcate the