Guest Column In Search of a New Normal for thoughts on this and I will share them with you in this piece of writing. Higher Education Firstly, after the end of colonial era, the newly independent countries used education (primary and secondary) to By Prof. A.K. Enamul Haque integrate their nation. Many of these new countries were not created by their King and hence their boundaries were not based keen to learn about this new mode of on any principle of culture, language, education. Princes Anne was speaking in religion, race, tribe, etc. It was the theory her inaugural speech she said, “by the of convenience of the colonial rulers who middle of the next century most of the drew our boundaries based on how best to universities will not find students in their administer the colonies. As such, the campus”–it struck me by surprise! Is it biggest challenge for these new countries going to be true? Then she was to use education to create nationhood. explained–people will find it hard to stay In doing so the challenges were many. on campus rather they will use distance Choice of language for education was a mode of education to learn. Educators big bottleneck. Countries ruled by colonial must prepare for this change. masters were not used to use their own As days gone by, innovations in language in offices. English became an technology starting from video to audio effective alternative in many countries If I remember well, it was 1994, the World chatting, webinar facilities, MOOC and given their difficulties in communication Congress of Distance Education other technological advances have made it with each other. History was a contentious Institutions was being held in Hong Kong. possible for people to consider a campus- matter. Hundreds of years of colonization Delegates from Open Universities across less education more actively and probably destroyed our pride, our thought process the world gathered to discuss the future of it is not the end. Almost every mainstream and our politeness. Asia and Africa after distance education. The challenges were universities have begun to deliver their the colonial era became synonymous for many– how to reach the students with the education in dual mode– offline (face to poverty, hunger, and illiteracy. We began right kind of tools? How to motivate them face) and online. Virtual classroom, virtual think the West as the savior – a different to study at home? How to mainstream whiteboard, virtual pen, are no longer kind of savior. During the colonial era distance education in higher studies? something that we imagine but we also they were the masters, now they are the use them actively in our courses. source of our knowledge!, our dream and Distance Education Educational technology has made it our aspirations. Let us accept that this is Challenges were many: possible to change our attitude towards what a 'foreign' education system can education. provide. Mind you, I am not calling them • How to reach the students with 'western' education system. Have you ever the right kind of tools? However, what kept me wondering is not wondered why Messi, Maradona, Kaka, • How to motivate them to study the mode of delivery of education rather Neymer, Suarez, and many others from at home? what we teach in our classes. Education Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal never planned to and particularly higher education must migrate to Europe leaving their country • How to mainstream distance change to fit to the new needs of the behind! This is also true for our cricketers, education in higher studies? society. We must ask few fundamental and many other players, musicians of the questions to ensure that the education is region but it is not true for most of our It was also my first introduction to valuable to human society. highly intellectual and meritorious distance education. At the time, I was in students! They all seem to plan for an exit charge of developing study materials for What is the purpose of education? Is there route to leave their respective countries as the first Diploma in Management at the a macro and a micro purpose of soon as an opportunity arises! Bangladesh Open University – I was a education? How the curriculum shall be new recruit in this arena – I was used to designed? How shall we select our faculty Secondly, education has both a purpose of give lectures in classes – face to face. As members etc. etc.? I do not have answers self-fulfillment as well as a purpose of such, it was a new domain for me. I was to all these questions but I have my contribution towards nation building. 2 CLOMMONWEALTHof EARNING Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia Clearly, when meritorious students leave schools. You will never find a half- There are many similar articles published en-masse the nation-building purpose has Moulvi or half-Hafeez-al-Quran in Islamic and rewarded by the system but they fail failed. The remaining question is – education system which is very old. to take account of the real problem of the whether our education has contributed to society. As such many of our educated the self-fulfillment prophecy? To answer In absence of outcome based education the youths are now unfit for jobs. The real this question, we need to ask few more difficulty comes during the process of world (who are private employers) are questions? Did the education help me to cross-recognition. National education looking for a person who is productive in achieve my goals of life? Can I take a schemes, which were developed to terms of knowledge and skills which our detour in case I find that the current route integrate nations failed to provide a education system has not fully addressed is not what I want? Mind you, we have pathway to develop cross-recognition of yet. We need students to develop ability only one life – shall I die without fulfilling these degrees across the boundaries. to solve problems of the society, not to my aspiration? The twenty-first century is a globalized provide a memorized version of the problem and solutions! An education system based on 'rules of century. It is a century where people are prohibition' cannot serve our aspiration. no longer separated by language, culture, Finally, we are still debating – is it an Imagine that I want to be a doctor and an religion, or other technology barriers. It is online degree or not? We are not asking engineer at the same time. Can I do it? a century where mobility across the globe whether he or she 'knows' his/her subject? Answer is no. Imagine a situation when I will increase much more than any other We are saying xx credit hours are became a doctor and then realized that I centuries of the past. Therefore, our important – convert your education into should have been a Professor of education system must create a new norm credit hours. We do not want to see Philosophy. It is where I have my to fulfill the aspirations of today's whether it was taught in the class or not. comparative advantage – where I can generations. We are still working on an education contribute. In our education system it is Fourthly, the process based education system to exclude people and not to simply impossible. I believe the education system has also corrupted the complete include them to become a good citizen, a system shall be free from such draconian system. Our teachers are no longer thinker and a philosopher so that they help rules. It shall be flexible and interested to solve a social problem for make our society a better one. accommodative to help us become what which they are historically respected in the The twentieth century education must be we want to be and not to tell us what we society. Their primary goal is to 'publish' based on a new paradigm. It is an should be. and publish topics which are in most cases education system to develop our human Thirdly, what is education? Is it useless in nature, repetitive, repackaged capital (not human graduates) who will fulfillment of credit hour requirements? Is the existing knowledge and rarely creates help Asia and Africa to compete with the it completing a check-box of courses? It any new knowledge. rest of the world. It has to be an education should not be and yet it is how we have Our primary method of quality assurance system which is flexible to help developed our system. Education shall be is to use 'impact factors' to 'judge' our individuals fulfill their dreams. This is a based on outcomes – not based on a research quality. We are now blind in new century where Asia is again going to process like how many courses? How terms of what the real problem of the be the center of the universe and so we many credit hours? At the end when I society is or what the needs for research in need to create our ability to sustain it. The obtain a degree shall I be half qualified? the society are where we live. We are new education system shall be global in When we pass with 50% marks what does praised, raised and even rewarded for nature to create good global citizens so it mean? Shall we consider that we have publishing in many useless 'journals'. that we live a world where racial, cultural learned 50% of the prescribed knowledge? or religious hatred is part of past history, Shall I call myself a half-economist Let me list a few articles from some of the the new education system must be ready because I got 50% marks in the exam? Or top journals in the region – “Philips curve to ensure mobility of people across a three-quarter-economist when I get 75% in a small economy – a time series boundaries and to pursue innovation and marks? A process based education cannot exploration”; “Factor substitution and creation of new knowledge.