21st April, 2017 | Gurgaon, India

Dr. Anantha Duraiappah delivered a powerful keynote address at the 3^rd Annual AFS Asia Pacific International Forum on the topic ‘Global Citizenship Education: Essential for Employability and the 21st Century Workforce’. The event was hosted by AFS Intercultural Programs, India in partnership with The World Bank Group and The Education World. Some other speakers included Angela Roye, Chair of the Board, AFS India and Fancisco Marmolejo, Lead Education Specialist, The World Bank Group, India and Matangi Gowrishankar, Director, HR for Asia Pacific – BP, India.

Dr. Duraiappah described the requirement for education systems to be equipped to provide future generations with the skills and competencies to manage the uncertainties of the future. He discussed how the present education systems function like an ‘assembly line production’, developing skill sets in students, which may not necessarily allow them to deal with the challenges of the twenty first century.

Further, Dr. Duraiappah referred to the new paradigm of education as ‘neurobiological learning’, in which the learning process occurs through neuroplasticity. Based on existing research from the neurosciences, UNESCO MGIEP is building a ‘new integrative curricula’ titled ‘LIBRE’ that will focus on inculcating competencies of empathy, mindfulness, compassion and critical inquiry in future learners.