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Certificated But Uneducated
By wale adefuye
I was discussing with an old classmate a few months ago. After our first degree in
engineering, he went to Canada to get a PhD. He now works as a senior hydrologist with a
top Canadian firm.
The discussion centered on how much of what we learnt in the university we use in our day-
to-day work. His department employs only Ph.Ds. Now much of what they learned even at
Ph.D level is used regularly on their job. Having a doctorate only proves that you have the
foundation on which continual learning can be built.
This agrees with my experience. Formally, one has a post-graduate degree in engineering
and a professional qualification in business. But what one does in his day to day business is
more of developing people and systems. No formal qualification in these areas (at least no
certificate to show yet the result speak of themselves).
The goal of our educational system at every level appears to only present people with
trophies for the mantel piece NOT tools to work with. Education (or at least going to
school) has become an end in itself when it should be a means to an end.
We are a certificate mad people. We want certificate for everything. Someone gets baptized
in water and he insists on getting a certificate (maybe to get a job with the Navy!) we
therefore cheat and forge certificates.
I have interviewed graduates who have obtained computer-proficiency certificate. I set them
before a computer to design a simple what if spread sheet. They look lost and dumb
founded. Yet they have acquired a certificate and no skill. We are only interested in paper.
Chambers dictionary defines education as strengthening of the powers of body or mind.
Malcolm S. Forbes once said “the purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an
open one” An open mind is required to get on in life even when there are no jobs. The world
as we know now only makes way for those who create and not seek jobs.
I believe the purpose of education, among other things, should be to provide students the
opportunities.
What then do we do to educate (that is strengthen the powers of body or mind) our
graduates? One would expect companies (of every size) and government departments to
provide on-the-job training and improvement programmes for their staff.
For the many more that are unemployed (someone once said a major problem with Nigerian
graduates is that many of them are unemployable), they have to realize the need for
education NOT certificate. Secondly they have to avail themselves of various opportunities
that are springing up daily to improve themselves. Thirdly they can take advantage of the
internet (where several self-helps are available).
People on earth, we attribute lack of progress to some witchcraft in the village. We have
therefore become irresponsible. We blame everyone apart from ourselves for everything that
befalls us. We make movements but no progress. We attend religious meetings looking for
magic (an instant solution to our problems). We ignore due process.
My interaction with many Christians in the past 18 years shows that be spiritual is to love
our minds. As a Christian to consider something and his most likely response is I'll pray
about it. Never have I heard one say I'll think about it. We have not been educated. We need
to learn to collate, process, reason and conclude.
The Lord once asked the disciples after giving them some data to analyse “So which of
these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves? (Luke 10:36).
The Nigerian Christian is likely to say “ O Lord I need a few days to PRAY about it”
The church should be able to seize the moment and empower the people. We should teach
our people to develop the abilities to think critically and creatively, make decisions and solve
problems. We should not cover our superstitions with garments of “spirituality”. We should
pray, yes fast and at the same time think.
By wale adefuye
I was discussing with an old classmate a few months ago. After our first degree in
engineering, he went to Canada to get a PhD. He now works as a senior hydrologist with a
top Canadian firm.
The discussion centered on how much of what we learnt in the university we use in our day-
to-day work. His department employs only Ph.Ds. Now much of what they learned even at
Ph.D level is used regularly on their job. Having a doctorate only proves that you have the
foundation on which continual learning can be built.
This agrees with my experience. Formally, one has a post-graduate degree in engineering
and a professional qualification in business. But what one does in his day to day business is
more of developing people and systems. No formal qualification in these areas (at least no
certificate to show yet the result speak of themselves).
The goal of our educational system at every level appears to only present people with
trophies for the mantel piece NOT tools to work with. Education (or at least going to
school) has become an end in itself when it should be a means to an end.
We are a certificate mad people. We want certificate for everything. Someone gets baptized
in water and he insists on getting a certificate (maybe to get a job with the Navy!) we
therefore cheat and forge certificates.
I have interviewed graduates who have obtained computer-proficiency certificate. I set them
before a computer to design a simple what if spread sheet. They look lost and dumb
founded. Yet they have acquired a certificate and no skill. We are only interested in paper.
Chambers dictionary defines education as strengthening of the powers of body or mind.
Malcolm S. Forbes once said “the purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an
open one” An open mind is required to get on in life even when there are no jobs. The world
as we know now only makes way for those who create and not seek jobs.
I believe the purpose of education, among other things, should be to provide students the
opportunities.
What then do we do to educate (that is strengthen the powers of body or mind) our
graduates? One would expect companies (of every size) and government departments to
provide on-the-job training and improvement programmes for their staff.
For the many more that are unemployed (someone once said a major problem with Nigerian
graduates is that many of them are unemployable), they have to realize the need for
education NOT certificate. Secondly they have to avail themselves of various opportunities
that are springing up daily to improve themselves. Thirdly they can take advantage of the
internet (where several self-helps are available).
People on earth, we attribute lack of progress to some witchcraft in the village. We have
therefore become irresponsible. We blame everyone apart from ourselves for everything that
befalls us. We make movements but no progress. We attend religious meetings looking for
magic (an instant solution to our problems). We ignore due process.
My interaction with many Christians in the past 18 years shows that be spiritual is to love
our minds. As a Christian to consider something and his most likely response is I'll pray
about it. Never have I heard one say I'll think about it. We have not been educated. We need
to learn to collate, process, reason and conclude.
The Lord once asked the disciples after giving them some data to analyse “So which of
these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves? (Luke 10:36).
The Nigerian Christian is likely to say “ O Lord I need a few days to PRAY about it”
The church should be able to seize the moment and empower the people. We should teach
our people to develop the abilities to think critically and creatively, make decisions and solve
problems. We should not cover our superstitions with garments of “spirituality”. We should
pray, yes fast and at the same time think.