Repair & Education

- Repair revolution is catching up in the west in the last 5 years or so,indeed they make E-waste 10 fold more than asian countries. RepairCafe Bengaluru believes there's a growing need to change or relook policies, specially in our education system by linking environment to technology and repair to life skills.

In the UK in past, people learned to replace plugs on electrical appliances at school. However, repair in schools has suffered as Design and Technology (DT) was withdrawn as a compulsory subject and decreases in size. And many initiatives promoting STEM (Science Technology Engineering Maths) enrichment are keen on disassociating them from repair, which is claimed to have a ‘low status’.

The persistent notion that repair is ‘low status’ is nonsense, especially given the growth of sensor networks, smart cities and smart homes, which will necessitate more maintenance and repair than ever. These will be some of the most reliable jobs in an age of automation and outsourced everything.

Not to mention that repair teaches some of the most transferrable skills: (creative) problem-solving, team work and it serves as a real confidence-builder.

Also, what is the consequence of schools accepting and reinforcing this ‘low status’ attached to repair and care, in an age of shrinking education budgets? How can schools continue to ignore care and repair of their own computers?

Lastly, if in the UK students attempting to get a place at universities, as elsewhere, are judged on their contributions to community and civic spirit – what better way to achieve this, than through activities like the Restart Party or Réparothon, providing a service to the community and sharing valuable skills.

This above piece is a data reflected from an international charity working on repair as a mainstream skill and concern in UK.

Repair cafe Bengaluru is eager to work it's way forward in introducing repair courses and enrichments in schools across Bangalore.