Value and dialogue-based approach can make education system inclusive

The traditional one-way approach to education no longer works for this generation, leading to a widening gap between the university administration and the student body, writes educator and academic administrator Deboshruti Roychowdhury.

It was a hot sultry afternoon on a university campus in West Bengal when a group of angry students came into the office which belonged to the Dean of Students.

Several institutions have successfully implemented value and dialogue-based approaches in their academic programs.

She received resentment from students over an administrative policy that had come out recently. They believed that the glorious lineage of the institution could have done better rather than announcing this policy which they felt wasn’t adequate for students’ needs.

The most common administrative response in such a situation is generally to ask students to go back, thus creating an environment of fear and hostility towards them.The Dean in the chair took a different approach and requested them to sit.

The rebellious students were not in the mood to act amicably and instead invited the hundred other protesting students into her office.

The room was full of angry young people beaming with energy. Their goal was to prove the authorities wrong by humiliating them.

The Dean started talking to them and offered them tea and lunch, which they refused. As a result, the Dean denied having her lunch too, or using the washroom since she was “gheraoed”.

This moment changed the mood of the room, as it was the first step taken towards having a dialogue with the protesting students and instilling the values of empathy, cooperation, and mutual respect among each other.

As a decade-long experienced educator and academic administrator, I have been witnessing such struggles that young adults face in navigating their academic and life journeys.

The traditional one-way approach to education no longer works for this generation, leading to a widening gap between the university administration and the student body.

This is why I strongly advocate for a value and dialogue-based approach in higher education that can address these challenges, at least to a large extent. Read More On..