Education is one of the most crucial and irrefutable part of any economy which guarantee economic prosperity of any nation through its catalytic effects on growth and development and leave its meaningful footprints on generation of human capital, which in turn revamp the level of productivity and transitional growth towards much greater level of quality output. Education will increase the cognitive skills of individuals through incorporating new knowledge and enable a society to confront the challenges of new technology by greasing the wheels of knowledge through the characteristics of transposal and propagation as it is the only path which catapult any nation on the road of prosperity.
Being the primary need for the future development of any society, education will provide steps leading towards better way of living where every step starting from primary to higher education matters. University education is more than the next level in the learning process; it is a critical component of human development globally which provides not only the high-level skills necessary for every labor market but also the training essential for teachers, doctors, nurses, civil servants, engineers, humanists, entrepreneurs, scientists, social scientists, and a myriad of other personnel. It is these trained individuals who develop the capacity and analytical skills that drive local economies, support civil society, teach children, lead effective governments, and make important decisions which affect entire societies.
DISCUSSION:
Higher education is broadly defined as one of key drivers of growth performance, prosperity and competitiveness. According to UNESCO there is strong link between the intellectual and educational role of universities and the development of society where raising skills holds the key to higher living standards and well-being so, investing in knowledge creation and enabling its diffusion is the key to creating high-wage employment and enhancing productivity growth and development of any nation that’s why the role of universities in global development of communities is imperative to foster innovation in all of our global institutions.
Like other nations Pakistan is also struggling hard to develop its HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) as higher and technical education are the tools to polish the skills and work as a catalyst that transform human resource to human capital.
As we all know that, fourth industrial or digital revolution is characterized by the unification of technologies that breaks the boundaries between physical, digital, and biological disciplines. Compared to three previous industrial revolutions the main differences of fourth are speed, extent and systemic impact. Only jobs that cannot be done by machines will last for the people in future; they will base on creative expression, social interaction, physical dexterity, empathy, ingenuity and collaboration so, there is a dire need to update the current education systems and paradigms oriented towards these values and goals.
RECOMMENDATIONWS:
Most of the leading 20th- century educational model introduces standardized facts and procedures designed to prepare the workforce for jobs that probably may not exist for a long time; this is not enough to cope with future challenges which require new principles of education in the dynamically developing and digital world by keeping in mind that:
*Universities are institutions intended to be durable and enduring if wisely designed, governed and financed, they are unique entities for our global society because HEIs are neutral conveners, assemblers of talent, and unmatched idea factories where the passion, creativity, and idealism of great minds, young and old alike, can be applied to problem-solving and advancing our societal and economic well-being where contemporary universities have a responsibility to transcend traditional disciplinary limitations in pursuit of intellectual fusion, and develop a culture of academic enterprise and knowledge entrepreneurship. They must also be prepared to begin delivering higher education at scale and in a manner that bestows status upon universities based upon the outcomes they achieve and their breadth of impact rather than the exclusivity and quality of their incoming freshman class.
* It is imperative that universities be socially embedded, thereby fostering development through direct engagement. Universities must work creatively and be willing to take risks to become even greater forces of societal transformation.
*Universities need to foster student success by becoming student-centric. Successful universities will be those capable of being nimble, anticipatory, imaginative and reactive. They must provide unique environments that prepare students to be “master thinkers” who are able to grasp a wide array of skills and comprise the most adaptable workforce the world has ever known.
*Only through the proliferation of networks between like-minded alliances can transformation occur at the scale that is immediately needed in order to advance our present global knowledge economy. Our communities must open their eyes to this imminent future and transform their thinking to see universities, not as self-indulgent “people factories,” but as valuable idea generators with vast influence and the potential to manifest technologies and concepts that can change lives the world over. One who know, how to keep pace with the rapid and extensive changes in industries but this require inclusive and equitable education, formal and informal, physical and digital in different fields of specialization as per need of the time like IT, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Blue Economy, banking and much more that are vital for the preparation of new populations and society to be successful in this unpredictable future.
Being the custodian of National Philosophy and by analyzing the importance of country’s Blue Economy; the untapped sector of Pakistan Bahria University decides to utilize this resource and come up as the 1st Maritime University and decides to join hands with the state to follow and utilize Blues Clues by introducing Blue education in Pakistan with an objective to quick track our blue economy to support our traditional economy.Interaction between human and oceans are more intensive in the present than the past. Oceans and seas make possible connections between world states, with a great value for economic changes which require more trained people involved in operation, able to act in different situation. This ability cannot be considered as a native one, and it must be developed through specifically blue training and education. Pakistan is a nation blessed by traditional and blue economy both but still we are struggling in the race of development due to underutilization of resources but utilization of this untapped sector require well-trained, skilled and educated human resource who are the driving force for the development which definitely enable us to participate in the globalization of our businesses by accompanying technological revolution but it demands a thrust in blue economic growth because Pakistan has enormous potential for blue job opportunities where exploration and exploitation of our vast sea resources show promising future.
Path of Blue Education
It is a noticeable fact that when we judged our available economic resources and opportunities, it will be justifiable to call our planet ocean in place of earth. Access to sea and having a coastal zone enriches a nation to such an extent which is beyond the grasp of so many littoral nations. We have to literally educate our masses and policy makers to have the right direction in their future planning and nation building and attract investment in blue education as its awareness is the first step towards the effective and efficient utilization of opportunity we have within your reach but unfortunately, this sector is handicapped with respect to the educational needs and their fulfillment so it is necessary to develop institutions of higher education in this domain.
An educated populace is vital in today’s world, with the convergent impacts of globalization, the increasing importance of knowledge as a main driver of growth, and the information and communication revolution. Knowledge accumulation and application have become major factors in economic development and are increasingly at the core of a country’s competitive advantage in the global economy so, it’s right time to set the direction of educational policies to promote blue education which ultimately results blue growth.