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Nekruz Ismoilov

President & CEO, NeksNuts, Inc.

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How do you think we can motivate young people to perceived and purposeful studying?

On the one hand, the flow of information nowadays is incredibly huge: you can choke on the TV programs, websites, newspapers and books. However, the most of these information flows are "yellow", useless and even worse - destructive. Tajikistan is a small country in Central Asia with a population of 7,000,000 people (2011).

Youth in Tajikistan in the 21st century has not enough useful and necessary information for the successful start in the life. After finishing a high school, most young people do not know what they can do. They have no idea what their lives devote to. At the same time the top for the most of the teenagers is to find a job in Russia. Making money in Russia became the main goal in youth’s and adults’ life. Children have no longer an enthusiasm to study at school and students remain at the Universities only "for parents".

- How do you think we can motivate young people to perceived and purposeful studying?
- How to start their internal "engine" for the acceleration to a successful life?
- What methods would be offered the Ministry of Education by you to implement into the system of education?

Related Talks:
Topics: Accountability: education enthusiasm high school learning youth
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    Lejan . 30+

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    Jun 27 2012: This is an interesting question you rose on which I like and try to share my thoughts. There has never been a time before were it was that easy for young people to get distracted from their own education as we are facing today. And as long 'learning' will stay less entertaining than TV shows, video-games or smartphones it will be difficult for this to change. Basically I believe, that no one can be convinced to get more interested in education, they got to be 'infected' by their own curiosity to keep going within. So by following this thought the question then would be - how could the educational system today become more infectious? In my eyes not without fundamental changes in itself and the society it is based on. And you got to start early with this infection, no, better to say, we should stop curing it the moment our children enter elementary school. By their given nature, children are naturally curious about and interested in almost anything yet we fail repeatingly to preserve this gift and in many cases it becomes almost impossible later to get them reinfected. So we as 'society' may reconsider the purpose of our educational systems towards the education of each individual of its own good, instead of 'growing' the need for their 'economical purposes' only. From there you would then 'only' need to question globally the necessity of unequally balanced chance and resources for the citizen of this world to be able to reconsider from there a more human reason for mankind and its existence. As long for many wealth is reason to aim for it only, and in fact we do not offer many alternatives at the moment, it may be difficult for any 'infection' to be self-sustained by its individual purpose. This sounds a bit socially critical and indeed it is. But where if not there do we have to start to change for a better? But can we achieve this? Well I think we can and one day we may have to. Till then we may ease symptoms by mimicking the temptation of modern media in .edu
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      Linda Woodard

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      Jun 27 2012: First Jan-Bernard, I adore your diction choice of "infected" when describing being interested in learning as that what it really is, and those who are truly immersed in it are almost like they have a fever which will not break until they reach their goal, and I love when that happens. But are you also saying that most German students are no longer motivated to learn due to technology and its distractions? OH NO, as from my experience, the smartest and most driven students I had were the foreign exchange students from Germany. And when they would share what their school was like with their American classmates, probably 98% of them would state that they would never do what they have to do to get good grades. So, then this problem is growing....
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        Lejan . 30+

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        Jun 27 2012: I am afraid, Linda, the problem is growing in all so called modern societies and Germany is no exception from this and never was. The exchanage students you lectured have most likely been part of the German academic elite already, as the poor students usually stay 'at home', just as I did. :o)

        Retrospectively and by comparing oranges with oranges most of your American students may deserve rehabilitation I propose ... :o)

        Germany is struggling as well to maintain a high standard of education and keeps emphasising on forming elite Universities, which actually underlines the explosiveness of the situation. There is no shortage in students, on the contrary, there is inflation in value in earning a degree and this goes globally and because of it. In my view the society is changing rapidly towards a future which became to uncertain, to unstable due to the nervousness and instability of the global market. If you want to keep up, be quick, be better and don't worry about the details. Yet it may be in the details for those who adore knowledge and for what it can be. In my career I have seen most brilliant scientists, most beautiful and creative minds, which got thwarted by a new grown species which I call 'science manager'. Neither brilliant, nor smart yet aggressively effective in short turn achievements. Anyway, the speed and need of efficiency is rapidly increasing which will make it even more difficult to encourage young people to stay or to get 'infected' by their own curiosity. Creativity in all disciplines is shy in its very nature and if it is getting 'to loud' outhere it may not show up against a 'three year return on investment' judgement. So even for those who have this fever it may become more and more difficult for them just to follow their inner calling and not to streamline themselves towards the ideal candidates for human resources of global player companies. I truly hope I am mistaken and I am sorry not to have any optimistic news for you on this topic.

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