The world we once ever knew is no more, perhaps forever. Much has changed and will continue to. What has not changed though, is the human nature itself. The way we react, as a species on the earth to the existential threat, on a scale not experienced in the last few decades, to something that the we as humans cannot quite comprehend as yet, in its entirety.
The post COVID-19 era or the New Normal, will require immense creativity and resilience. Young people have an opportunity to assist restructure societal norms as a replacement paradigm is being built. This era will see an increased reliance and realisation of the importance of technology in our day to day lives. It has been the most engrossing thing to the youth and so tech will take on heightened role as ‘enabler’ of most of the facets of their life including education and to remote work.
The greatest need of the time is to go flexible with time. Tectonic shifts in different sectors as well as in the society occur when unexpected events force the masses for widespread experimentation around new idea. Right now, the pandemic is forcing global experimentation with remote teaching. The youth needs to devise a hybrid system which can bring holistic dimensions to the spectrum of education as the digital world is increasingly penetrating the education and skills domain, with technology gradually being used to deliver education, knowledge and skill in new and innovative ways. Teachers and edtech entrepreneurs are bracing themselves for the new normal. No patterns or systems can obstruct if Students stay with their individual strength of mind and spirit. ‘There is no need to reinvent the wheel, it is already there. But young volunteers must make the wheel move faster.’
No age bracket will escape the pain of this unprecedented crisis, but it seems like the millennials are already on more precarious financial footing than Gen Y. Many entered the workforce in the shadow of great recession, a period of high unemployment and underemployment particularly for workers with little experience. But surprisingly, they have brought a different attitude to the workspace that embraces work/life balance, new technologies, new approaches to successful carrier. They are walking on a tight rope and there are cliffs on either side. It’s hard to imagine someone making it through in this age really unscathed. In the world where we exist, change is constant, there is always a perpetual need to be skillful, acquire knowledge and gain experience things that are relevant in today’s technologically driven market place. Today, in a thriving digital economy, the demand for good-skilled professionals with both technical and analytical skills stimulates the job creation and creates great competition amongst employers who are looking to secure valuable talent. Nations need to form the policies for recognizing the non-conventional ways of educational methods. Now is the time to widen the definition of education and there is need to see the competency more than degrees.
Yet, despite these assumptions, we must not forget that progress is supposed to suggest a process under which we improve, enhance and proper the situations we get over . As a race coming up with effective solutions and the rules under which our world will start living in are being set, it is definite that humanity will experience ‘new normal’. The new normal should not only be a time for us to ideate how different our lives will be, but actually a time to reflect on solutions to become better, more united and progressive world. The world will have changed by the time the crisis recedes, but we the human race, will continue to be what have always been – relentless in our search for wealth and power.
By Prabalini Mishra
