Polymaths will reshape the future of education : WB Governor

West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi Friday said a wider range of learning is the need of the time and polymaths are reshaping the future of education.

"Confining education into only a few directions will result in partial growth of society. Polymaths are the new leaders," he said addressing the Annual Education Conference, 2019 organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.

Tripathi said the true aim of education is to develop the ability to deal with problems and arrive at creative solutions. "The emergence of new challenges will require new methodology and new approach necessitating transformation of educational norms.

"There is need of redefining, rethinking and rebooting of education in such a manner that it can successfully combat the situation," the governnor added.

Speaking on the occasion, scientist Prof Bikash Sinha said that a polymath has to be a great teacher, communicator and master of pedagogy.

"No digital classroom can replace the actual class. There has to be a two way interaction between teacher and students," he said.

Vice-Chancellor of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Saikat Maitra said disruptions with technological revolution is bringing in phenomenal changes.

"It is the time of interface of natural and artificial intelligence. It is time of blended learning where no subject exists in isolation, nothing is one dimensional. Polymathy allows the concept of seeing problems from different perspectives. Classroom, teaching will take new turn because of digital democracy. We have to adopt polymathic approach to solve the problems," Maitra said.

Satyam Roy Choudhury, Co-Chairperson, Education Committee of the Bengal Chamber, said that polymaths continuously challenge themselves to grasp concepts of different disciplines.