India needs an education system that helps with life experiences

Apprenticeship-based learning can develop real-world capacities if we fix our educational mindset

- ANURAG BEHAR is CEO of Azim Premji Foundation.

Almost every field of work needs three kinds of capacities: technical, social-human and operational. Their mix required in any field is determined by the nature of the work in that field, which becomes clear when we examine the role of the person at the frontline of work. In education, teachers form the frontline, and their role requires all three capacities. Software coders, who are at the frontline of the IT world, mostly require technical capacities and a few social-human capacities. The frontline politician's role is also complex, as it requires social-human and operational capacities in ample measure, though the typical political leader does not need technical capacities to match a teacher's.

This inherent nature of each field has profound implications. People, both individually and in groups, are unpredictable and have varying behaviour. They are often inconsistent, and change, not only across long periods of time, but even in short intervals. All this has direct implications for operational requirements because operations are often about getting things done with people, including managing your own self. Even aside from this people-driven complexity, all operations are context- and environment-dependent.