Fevistik’s latest ad drives home the path breaking message of making education more immersive and enjoyable by shunning the prevalent ways of rote learning in India. The tagline “Dil se Chipkaoge to Dimaag se Chipkega” which translates to which means ‘If you stick with your heart, it will stick to your mind’, is a call to action for students to enjoy the learning process rather than using dated techniques which yield little or no results and make the process of studying cumbersome. With humour used as an intrinsic element, in line with their previous campaigns, the film encourages children and parents to truly immerse themselves in the subject to enjoy it.
ROTE-N ways
From time immemorial, the Indian education system has been promoting and validating rote learning, where teachers expect students to reproduce exactly what appears in the textbooks. The method has created quite a divide. A few who ace rote learning have secured excellent scores in their studies and the other few who can’t learn by heart haven’t had a good grade graph. Besides, what is the fun of learning when it is done mechanically? The fun element is in understanding it and then resonating with it. Though the Indian education system has undergone an overhaul to be more accommodating towards experiential learning, many schools and universities still have to implement the changes and make it a part of their daily learning.
According to a Mintel research, almost 2 out of 5 parents say if they have a bit of money left over once they’ve paid the bills and bought all of the things they really need, they would spend it on education (eg for children). This statistic is an indicator on how much the mindset of the typical Indian parent has changed over time, the onus clearly being on the educational institutions.
There is still hope
The Fevistik film has its basis and support in the Mintel Trend “Help Me Help Myself” which states that consumers are learning new ways to nudge themselves toward better habits. Consumers have access to – and are showing more interest in – information about their own psychology, and ways to optimise their own behaviours. Experiential learning is considered the first step towards better learning and a brighter future. Governments and businesses are recognising that sticks are a lot more useful when there’s a carrot attached to them and thus encouraging Indians to encourage experiential learning.
An interesting step taken in this direction are the works done in conjunction by HP, Netzun, Ibero Liberías and Jockey Plaza shopping centre in Lima who are giving it back to society with their programme of providing children with limited access, the infrastructure related to online learning in the form of equipment and WiFi. To condition the child in the usage of plastic money, Shinhan Card based in South Korea is providing children’s credit cards, albeit with usage boundaries, to help parents introduce their children to the concepts of money management and cashless economy. The cherry on the cake is the initiative taken by INEOS South Africa, that is offering treats for children, for recycling their trash, making the community clean and hygienic by tapping the pillars at the grass root level.
What’s next
A collaboration of education brands and allied groups is in the offing. Together they have to focus on making the academic atmosphere positive by designing programmes and products, and providing infrastructure to make the government’s path breaking measures a reality. All this, while keeping in mind the ever-changing reality of the Indian student. Gone are the times of the “single education system” which produced geniuses and students dejected with the education system in an unequal measure. In sowing the seeds of a participative and educated future, one should iron out the flaws of the system and make it more immersive and intuitive – a system where the limitations and strengths of every child are taken into account, before devising the appropriate syllabus. Brands can also participate in doing their bit to make this educational revolution a reality, by making its access and dispensation equitable and beneficial for all.
