Neomai (A Paradigm Shift Towards a Futuristic Educational Model)

Neomai(A Paradigm Shift Towards a Futuristic Educational Model)  

“Education is the foundation of every society. It is only right that a community such as NEOM, which envisions nothing less than a new future for the world, should have in place an education system fit to meet the needs of tomorrow.” 

NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr (August 28, 2023, Arab News)

 

Every educator globally aspires to have the chance to reset and completely redesign education. This desire stems from the realization that the existing systems are beyond repair. The widespread issues within these systems have a profound impact, adversely affecting nearly all stakeholders. These problems are so deeply embedded in the system’s DNA, manifesting across various aspects of these educational structures.

In addition, several disparities with the current educational systems were noticed. First, they are highly centralized and inherent bureaucratic inertia which unequivocally demeaning creativity and innovation. Second, there was a mismatch between education and societal development needs. Third, imbalances and mismatches existed between education and employment rates, along with significant educational inequalities among different social groups. Lastly, the rising costs of education did not always align with the available funds for investment.

So, I pose these questions, what alternative system could replace the current one? How would it operate, what costs would be involved, and Where Might This New Model Take Place?

Neom has captured the imagination of people worldwide, let alone someone who lives near this dream. Such an innovative concept demands thinking that breaks free from conventional boundaries! The proposed educational model for Neom holds the promise to thrive and seamlessly integrate with the cutting-edge technology trends, rooted in a futuristic mindset.

Consider this scenario of a day in Neomai: A three-year-old child, Named Moonine (this name is popular in Neom city because it is drawn from two words: moon and the city The Line), accompanies his/her mother to the supermarket around 9 A.M. The mother instructs the child to put on their clothes and get ready, which Moonine does smoothly and with a positive attitude. The mother then accesses the Neomai platform via her devise to assess Moonine’s overall behavior. As a result of this assessment, Moonine receives a congratulatory message on his/her tablet, Saying, ‘WOW, you have just received an extra love!’ This assessment system, known as ‘Snowballing Assessment (SAS),’ is entirely powered by artificial intelligence.

 As Moonine and his/her mom continue their day, they spot a neighbor jogging. Suddenly, Moonine waves and enthusiastically shouts, ‘2H!’ (Neom citizen’s invented greeting phrase, short for ‘hello, how are you?’). The neighbor smiles and waves back. Obviously, the neighbor has an access to the Neomai platform as a citizen, and because they live in the Same area, Moonine’s picture appears in her account, making it easier to assess Neomai members living in the Same area.

Following that, they proceeded to the supermarket area. Upon arrival, the Neomai system notified Mom and Moonine about numerous opportunities to collect SAS credits. At five years old, Moonine is ready to embark on their own journey. While traditional educational systems might deem Moonine eligible for school; however, in Neomai, there is no place for conventional schooling. Instead, a unique educational path awaits, which will be elaborated upon later.

Neomai system is built on three fundamental components. These components are combined to create a system unlike any seen before:

 

Eventually, it’s evident that the existing systems have caused numerous issues for all stakeholders; therefore, addressing the critical pain points of the current educational systems is imperative for Neom’s educational framework. In my view, this includes two essential elements: personalizing education and ensuring inclusive. Hence, I envisaged an innovative solution through NEOMAI, drawing from my expertise as an educator and my background in linguistics.

 

1.1 Language influence how we perceive the world: (A prerequisite step)

 

First of all, it is essential to recognize that a new educational model cannot become a reality unless we depart from old concepts and thought processes. These concepts are often expressed through words. In traditional educational models, many concepts are closely tied to specific words. For instance, consider the word ‘school.’ It is impossible to envision any contemporary educational model without it; ‘school’ has become a fundamental element and a necessity for the model to function. Therefore, we must alter our language and build our own dictionary before we delve into the engineering of Neomai. This idea aligns with the well-known Sapir-Whorf theory.

Almost 100 years ago two scientists by the name Sapir-Whorf theorized that the language influences how we see the world. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, also known as linguistic relativity, is indeed a fascinating concept that suggests the structure of a language affects its speakers’ world view or cognition. Essentially, it posits that people who speak different languages perceive and think about the world differently. They simply Say if you do not have an expression in your language for a certain concept but I have one in mine, it means that you view the same topic differently. Somehow, based on this view, language is viewed as the building block in the thinking process.

 Take this example, they have studied an indigenous group with no future tense in their language. They deduced that this particular group of people perceives time distinctively, unlike those whose language includes a tense for future events.

Obviously, language plays a major role in the human thinking process, and this reality gains an important position when we talk about Neomai project!

Hence, one of NEOMAI unique breakthroughs, which is based on the idea that you cannot create an out-of-the-box ideas without altering your language, is what I call Neomai-Dictionary.

Let’s now delve into more details about what do we mean of Neomai-Dictionary:

 

What do we mean by Neomai-Dictionary?

Because the whole idea of Neomai is revolutionary and it was not seen before, I suggest two processes for fostering creativity and innovation through language:

1.      Redefining: In this process, we take familiar terms and provide our unique definitions. For example:

Word	Old educational systems	Neomai
Teacher	-          Employment: These individuals serve the government schools or work for private sector schools. -          Salaries: Their income is funded by taxpayers. -          Challenges: Some face waning enthusiasm due to low pay, unfavorable school environments, or personal factors. -          Standards: They adhere to specific guidelines, which may sometimes restrict creativity and they have to impose certain way of thinking on children.	-          Teachers: Every member in the Neomai area can be seen as a teacher. -          Cost-Effective: teachers’ budget incurs minimal expenses compared to existing systems. -          Citizenship Duty: to be a teacher in Neomai is considered a civic obligation, actively promoted by media outlets. Companies, banks, and even government bodies offer credit points to employees who participate.
Assessment (An entire chapter is dedicated to this topic.)	-          Formal Setting: These assessments take place during school hours. -          Age Range: They begin between ages 5 or 7. -          Responsibility: Teachers and school staff administer these assessments. -          Limited Scope: They do not address all aspects of a child’s life. -          Stress and Anxiety: The testing process can cause anxiety and stress. -          Retention Issues: Children often memorize information briefly but then forget it (known as the “Backwash effect”). -          Parental Exclusion: Parents and society are not involved in the assessment process. -          Real-Life Relevance: The test content may not align with real-world experiences. -          Reports: provide quantitative reports.	-          Snowballing Assessment (SAS): This assessment system spans from the child’s first year to the end of Neomai years. It involves collecting various evidence that ensures the child is making progress. -          Inclusive Participation: Parents, neighbors, shopkeepers, traffic police, grandparents—anyone who interacts with the child—can contribute to the SAS journey. -          AI Integration: SAS relies significantly on artificial intelligence. -          Cost-Effective: The cost associated with SAS is minimal. For example, using the city AI capabilities such as: sensors, facial recognition monitors, etc. all of that will be run by AI and stored on a cloud storage platform. -          Social inclusion: As the child grows individually, he/she must interact with society as part of SAS journey. -          Reports: provide quantitative and qualitative reports.

 

 

2.       Terms Coinage: in many cases there will be a need to create a brand-new label to encapsulate the meaning of new thoughts. For example:

Word	Old educational systems	Neomai
C1: refers to parents C2: refers to neighbors C3: other members of society     * “C” is initial letter in the word contact.	-          They lack any form of access to the educational system.	-          They have complete access to the Neomai, and their contributions are recognized and celebrated.
Learning Tanks (instead of schools)	-          Lack of Real-World Experience: Traditional schools often fail to provide authentic real-world experiences for students. -          Exclusion of Parents and Society Members: Schools strictly exclude parents and other community members from active involvement. -          Uniformity Over Individuality: Instead of nurturing individuality, they tend to enforce uniformity. -          Overcrowded Classrooms: Many classrooms suffer from overcrowding, affecting the quality of education. -          Limited Technology Integration: Traditional schools lag behind in fully integrating technology into the learning process. -          Slow Adoption of Innovations: They are often slow to embrace state-of-the-art inventions. -          Resource Demands for Schools: The existence of schools requires substantial funding and a significant workforce.	-          Strong Parental Involvement: “Learning Tanks” concept emphasizes maximizing the time children spend with their parents. Family plays a crucial role in shaping the next generation. -          Community Participation: Beyond parents, other members of Neom society actively contribute to raising children. It’s a collaborative effort that extends beyond the traditional schooling system. -          Child-Centric Approach: “Learning Tanks” philosophy aligns with children’s natural inclinations. Rather than restricting freedom, it encourages exploration and curiosity. -          Market Responsiveness: “Learning Tanks” concept adapts to market demands. It prepares students for real-world responsibilities and future employment. -          Competent Teenagers: Teenagers emerge from this system with practical skills, making them well-prepared for the challenges of post-Neomai.     -          Holistic Learning Environments: Children engage with diverse environments that significantly impact their learning, although these places, in old schooling system, are often overlooked. These places encompass libraries, sports academies, technological centers, museums, specialized facilities, universities, online platforms, factories, and government institutions.