05. Towards A New Hope “For improving the quality of education, one needs to understand the diversified needs of the country and character, while being conscious of the values governing life.” 78 While extensive research has been done, both, locally and globally, on methods of restructuring architectural education, there is barely much ideation on tools or methodologies to blur the existing boundaries of inequality within the nation. This chapter briefly speaks about a few simple, but particularly relevant interventions that can make architectural education more accessible for all. At the governance level, regulating education and licensing of architects should be segregated into two distinct entities; a ‘long and cumbersome’ legislative procedure.79 Until then, the COA should create two autonomous branches within its purview; where licensing ‘ensures minimum standards’ and regulating education ‘provokes excellence.’80 The huge number of recently established schools cannot be undone. However, owing to the UN SDG’s, we must ensure that all the students in these institutions are exposed to ‘quality education.’81 We must establish ‘excellence clusters’ by recognising mentoring institutions, with each one acting as guides for the nearby 15-20 ‘lesser-prepared protégé schools’ where faculty, resources and innovative ideas can be shared.82 With the current surge in digital learning, institutions could also tie-up with local and global e-learning platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, ACEDGE, edX and many more. They offer a wide range of courses and pre-recorded lectures related to architecture and its ancillary fields (Figure 33 & 34).
Afza, Nooreen, 2020. A Review Of Architecture Education In India - Rethinking The Future. [online] Rethinking The Future. Available at: <https://www.re-thinkingthefuture. com/fresh-perspectives/a609-a-review-of-architecture-education-in-india/> [Accessed 30 October 2020]. 78
Chandavarkar, P., 2017. Architectural Education and Regulating Architecture in India. [online] https://wordpress.com/. Available at: <https://premckar.wordpress. com/2017/10/14/architectural-education-and-regulating-architecture-in-india/> [Accessed 9 September 2020]. 79
80
Ibid.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 2020. Education. [online] Available at: <https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/> [Accessed 30 October 2020]. 81
Benninger, Christopher., n.d. The Future Of Architectural Education In India - The Crises And Challenge. ArchitectureLive! 82
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