Technology is shaping everything in the world and it will affect every aspect of life of millions of people in the near future, so there is a need to be proactive to catch up with other nations in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) organized ‘”Fourth Industrial Revolution: Opportunities and Challenges for Pakistan” in Islamabad.
The session was chaired by CEO, Asian Institute of Industrial Air (AIIA) Dr Arshad Ali. He said that talent needs to be nurtured but there seems to be no vision or urge for betterment in public sector educational institutions.
Chairman of Robotmea Pakistan Shams Faiz shared views about the 4th Industrial Revolution during the seminar said “robots will take over the jobs of 75 million people globally by 2022 due to new technologies while more than 130 million new jobs will be created.
He further said “Pakistan needs to improve its education system to compete with other nations in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution”.
He talked about improving education that we have to introduce the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning methodology to make our children innovative. STEM is not just about teaching children robotics, it’s way beyond that. It should focus on the “4 Cs”: Critical thinking, collaboration, communication skills and creativity.
He told that the Americans have fallen behind other nations, including China and India, in technology and innovation due to a flaw in the education system.
He added that “This is because students are not taking up science subjects and are instead opting for social sciences. Pakistan must learn from the mistakes of other countries”.
He also said technology had provided a level playing field and now access to knowledge is there for every person. In this scenario, Pakistan must not miss the opportunity as it did in the past.
He urged focus on practical work in schools and colleges, as without any practical work no one can be creative.