Education for the Future: Forging Superheroes, 1st Prize at Soch '21

Editor’s Note: Forging Superheroes through Education

We are delighted to announce the first prize winner of Soch’21, the article writing competition held as part of Prabandhan’21, IIT Kanpur’s flagship management conclave, in association with From The Experts’ Mouth. In this winning article, Manas Kumar Mishra takes us through the journey of how the education system can be changed to achieve the objective of forging superheroes for the future. His submission contained several pointers that can serve as The One Lesson that the education system itself needs to learn. Enjoy reading!

The End…

This is the end,
My only friend,
The end of our elaborate plans,
The end, of everything that stands,
The end.
The Doors

Our Education System- During COVID-19

Events such as COVID-19 are called ‘Black Swan Events’ – unpredictable, unavoidable, rare, extreme and widespread.

This Covid-19 wiped out jobs, savings, privileges, dreams, ambitions and hopes. Even though the scale of devastation was different across geographies, the moral imprint left behind on our minds was similar: haunting memories forever.

The Power

It is not the stronger of the species that survive, nor the intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
Charles Darwin

Although we unfortunately lost many of our loved ones, most of the people ended up as survivors of COVID-19. These survivors can be broadly classified as follows:

The X – They were the ones whose perseverance became their saviour. Having faced severe losses and tragedies, they resurrected in a tougher avatar.
The Y – They also had similar fate, but they could not resist and were devastated enough never to return to normalcy.
The Z – They were the lucky ones who were not affected and could maintain their usual level lifestyles.

Ideally, we would want to be ’The Z’ – the lucky ones in all phases of life. Alas! Luck can’t be earned or bought. It is just an eternal flow of bliss that showers at will. What differentiates ‘The X’ from ‘The Y’ is the possession of a strong mind – a mind of fortitude, grit and resilience. The battle is won against a more powerful enemy not just by powerful weapons but by applying sharp tactics of defense, perseverance and timing, the vanguard of which is a strong mind. Such a mind is the most prized possession of our collective psyche. It is the caliber of such a mind that has brought about the greatest reforms, the mightiest revolutions and the most extraordinary inventions.

So, the one power we need to seek is this – a strong mind.

The Lesson

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire
W.B. Yeats

The one lesson which our education system itself needs to learn to equip the youth for the future is how to make them stronger mentally so that they can stand firm even in the most trying times. A strong mind is a power-product harnessed by a combination of effort, attitude, knowledge, and awareness. Each of these factors shapes up a particular aspect of the mind, thereby building strength slowly and steadily.

Effort: It is a habit driven by the pursuit of excellence.
Attitude: It is a general perspective and vision moulded by confidence, humility and curiosity working in tandem.
Knowledge: It is processed information in transit, preserved by memory.
Awareness: It is a rational and inherent state of sanity that differentiates us as humans. It is not a passive state of being alive. It is an active state of sensory comprehension that intensifies with knowledge.

So how do we develop a strong mind? Can it be earned?

Perhaps yes. Our effort, attitude, knowledge and awareness can be nurtured by a sound learning ecosystem the creation of which is the primary responsibility of any progressive society.

The Beginning

Don’t underestimate the power of a mind that is made up.
Miya Yamanouchi

So how does our learning ecosystem systemize the process of equipping our youth with a strong mind? We may proceed by incorporating the following programs and subject topics in our academic curriculum.

Long term school exchange programs For Our Education System

Private school and government school children swap positions for an immersive and empathetic learning experience. Let the privileged children cope up with rigors of an underprivileged life and adapt to changes in the learning environment.

Military training programs For Our Education System

Not only does it mean training by military or joining military, but it can also be done by induction in the school and college courses. These programs would complement the existing ‘Physical Education’ courses and help to develop stamina and inculcate ruggedness in character.

Risk Management For Our Education System

It should no longer be confined to business schools and businesses. Risk management should also not be limited to subscription to some insurance policies. In fact, basics of Risk Management should be taught in schools systematically. The fields should cover risks across all fields including (but not limited to) financial, economic, social, personal, political and medical.

Assumptions To Make About Our Education System

It should ideally be one of the most important terms of our lives but is in fact one of the most underrated ones. We treat assumptions as superficial, when they should indeed form the basis of any rational or logical argument. They, in fact, form the basic premise of decisions we make – rational or irrational, sane or insane, informed or uninformed. So, the idea of incorporation of ‘Assumptions’ across all spheres of the academic world needs our immediate attention.

Assumptions, as integral undercurrent of all philosophies, reasons, theories and laws, should be stressed upon, taught and tested across education levels. Let the assumptions not be deferred to a distant future. Do we know about our assumptions or what would happen if one of the assumptions breaks down?

Fathom these questions

Are we prepared to fight if we suddenly get surrounded by barbarians and with no one to help?
Can we search for water if our towns dry up at scale?
Can we survive without our homes?
How long can we survive if we were to become bankrupt due to some systemic failure?
Can we travel the world alone if such a need arises tomorrow?
What do we do if an asteroid strikes now?

The Superheroes

Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.
Napoleon Bonaparte

The sense of humility and consciousness, emboldened by mental strength and toughness of character, is what defines superheroes.

Let our education system forge many such superheroes of future!

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About The Author

Manas Kumar Mishra did his Mechanical Engineering from BIT, Sindri and later on, pursued PGDM in General Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

He started his career at Infosys as System Engineer Trainee and then joined Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) as Assistant Manager. He is working as Manager in Sales and Marketing in Hindalco Industries Limited since July 2021.

This article won the First prize at Soch ’21, the article writing competition at Prabandhan ’21, the flagship management conclave of IIT Kanpur, in association with From The Experts’ Mouth.