Lifelong learning is a voluntary and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for professional and personal development. Whether you are 20 or 80 years old, lifelong learning keeps one young by enriching one’s knowledge and acquiring new skill sets throughout one’s life.
With the world around us continuously evolving, corporates and industries are expanding jobs at swift rates. Lifelong learning not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship and individual development but it also increases competitiveness, employability and new opportunities. It also helps develop and maintain healthy physical and mental states of individuals.
Employees are responsible for their lifelong learning, while employers should be encouraging and afford opportunities in the workplace and beyond. Individuals need to be aware of changing industry trends and build upon their existing capabilities and strengths to adapt effectively. This will give them a competitive edge over other professionals and help them to remain employable.
Lifelong learning keeps the mind sharp and the brain active, and that can prolong life than would otherwise be the case, all things being equal. Quality of life among all our citizens and particularly in our Jamat is now directly related to individual, community, societal and even economic wellbeing.
In 2011 at the Foundation Ceremony for the Aga Khan University’s Graduate School of Media and Communications, Nairobi, Kenya, Mawlana Hazar Imam said:
“The most important thing we can learn - or teach - at any School - in a world of perpetual change - is the ability to go on learning. None of us have all the answers - quite often we don’t even know what questions to ask. Nor can we discern the road ahead by looking in a rear-view mirror. Past lessons must constantly be renewed and reapplied, as we adapt to new technologies and new expectations.”
It is the vision of Mawlana Hazar Imam that the Jamat understand the importance of the role of intellect in our lives, even when we are 110 years old, whilst keeping ourselves mentally agile through lifelong education. Thus, each one of us can live our faith fully and contribute to the rapidly evolving knowledge society that we live in.
The Ismaili Women’s Committee together with the Economic Planning Board, Education Board and Youth Board bring you a list of a few online portals for lifelong learning (some are free, some have a minimum fee). The list is endless, but we have shortlisted a few to enable to the members of the Jamat to embark on their journey of personal and professional development.
www.udemy.com
https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=free
http://www.coursera.org
www.futurelearn.com
www.skillshare.com
www.khanacademy.com
https://www.edx.org
https://online-learning.harvard.edu/catalog/free
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue
https://online.stanford.edu/free-courses
https://yoma.africa
Again, the list is endless. If you need further assistance or help, please contact:
Sairah Rajan-Juttla | 0733-515-010 | [email protected]
Citation
Foundation ceremony for the AKU Graduate School of Media and Communications - https://bit.ly/2UtpUSZ
