KIC President Dr. Assem Al-Hajj participated in a roundtable discussion that focused on the contemporary education challenges, organized by the Identity Branding Forum.
The webinar explored how students should sail into the uncertain future. It’s noteworthy to mention that the recent pandemic influenced the conversation and insights presented by the four panelists.
Dr. Al-Hajj noted that to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow, students should be equipped with skills that would enable them to deal with the disruptive world. They should be ready to deal with chaos, as ‘chaos catches those who are not ready’. The President referred to KIC as an example of an institution, which was ready to address challenges imposed by the pandemic, and ultimately succeeded.
Although readiness is manifested by the availability of the tools and technologies, the tangibles are not everything, as Dr. Al-Hajj noted. He pointed out that because technological development is fast-paced, the concept of teaching the applications of a specific technology is already an outdated concept. Students should not learn how to apply X or Y, rather, they should be able to discern trends and see the future.
Based on that, students should be equipped with core generic skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and leadership. Above all, students should be visionaries.
Other panelists also speculated on core skills that students of tomorrow should have such as resilience, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and healthy skepticism.
Click here to watch the full webinar.