Are University degrees certificates worth the time, effort, and money?
Deepak Maun
Guides & Mentors “Confused but Motivated” students from India's Non-Elite Universities for Better Learning & Career Outcomes | Unconventional Teacher | Conventional Researcher | Unschooling Parent |
I have a cousin who never excelled at studies. Somehow, he completed his 12th. The question was: What can he do now? He got enrolled in a college in Chandigarh in a Diploma Course for Medical Lab Technician. My father would go to college and meet his teachers to ensure that he was not bunking classes. Still, he did. The teachers constantly complained about his absence, lack of efforts, or performance on tests. His sister is a trained Nurse and she would sit with him before exams to help him cram/learn. He scraped through the course and somehow got his diploma. We were surprised that he passed. He was even more shocked!
His learning during the diploma? Almost ZERO.
On the basis of his diploma certificate, he got job with a local medical lab to collect patient samples. No one allowed him to touch machines or reagents. He is hard working and learnt quickly on the job. He took interest in the work and asked his peers and seniors to teach him how to analyze different samples. Moved from one lab to another. Learnt from people there. He started performing tests when someone was absent. Slowly, from collecting samples, he started doing simple procedures in lab and then performing more complex tests on his own.
Today, he runs his own lab, collects and analyzes samples, and is doing reasonably well. He also has a good reputation in the field.
What if he never had that diploma? What if he was allowed to start apprenticeship, learn on the job, and then take specific courses, either online or in an institute to consolidate his understanding and know more deeply about the work he was doing?
The case of my cousin is not an exception. I know of scores of people who did poorly in university and did great in jobs. I know of people who have done great in fields totally unrelated to their degrees. I know of people who have no degrees and yet do excellent work.
In such a scenario, what is the REAL VALUE of a degree certificate?
Why cannot we create a framework where individuals can start working in fields without any degree under guidance of seasoned practitioners? They can supplement their knowledge with short duration online/physical courses. If they want, they can then choose to take a series of exams to get a diploma/degree as and when they want and are ready. I think this model needs a serious consideration. Our degree certificates are useless. Our graduates are not job ready. We need to rethink the way we think about learning, teaching, and working.
Student at University of Calcutta
4 年Curbing reservations first. A lot will be competitive in Indian education system.
Associate Professor & Deputy Director, International Institute for Higher Education (IIHEd), O.P. Jindal Global University
4 年Let me rephrase your question- "Why cannot we create a framework where individuals can start working in fields to achieve their professional degree under the guidance of seasoned practitioners??" The problem is not with your cousin. The problem is with the formal system of higher education. The problem is with the pedagogy used in higher educational institutions. Education and professional training are of utmost importance. The problem with many of these training colleges where one can get admitted for getting their diplomas is their outdated curriculum and pedagogy, which does not help students to gain the knowledge and skills they need to do the job. You may like to read John Dewey's,?"Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education" to understand why he advocated for experiential learning. Here is a relevant quote: “As formal teaching and training grow in extent, there is the danger of creating an undesirable split between the experience gained in more direct associations and what is acquired in school. This danger was never greater than at the present time, on account of the rapid growth in the last few centuries of knowledge and technical modes of skill.”
Assistant Director at EY
4 年I'm curious Deepak Maun as it does sound like a horse at the back of a cart. I am also curious to understand society's and industries' double standard wherein they celebrate the success of a drop out and draw so much of inspiration from those and at the same time so purposefully advocate education brands. Look at the scene in India - pick any domain and try excluding IIT/IIM from the leadership presence and you will see...
Mother of 2 self learners, creative and adventurous soul listening to whispers of my heart, living a minimalist and conscious life while creating a beautiful co-creation space in the universe.
4 年Nicely captured Deepak Maun
Guides & Mentors “Confused but Motivated” students from India's Non-Elite Universities for Better Learning & Career Outcomes | Unconventional Teacher | Conventional Researcher | Unschooling Parent |
4 年Gaurav Gandhi Is industry actually using a degree as proxy for skills? They have already devised their own entrance tests in IT. I guess others should also start doing the same. Even for a degree, exit exam should be necessary. Those who fail should be barred from practice as is the case in several countries. But the reverse should also be true: those who pass it should be allowed to practice despite not having a formal degree.