Invest in continuous learning after graduation

One thing that is yet to change after the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, is the outdated, ineffective, and irrelevant education systems in Kenya. Year on year, hordes of fresh graduates compete armed with four years of “education” and a “bachelor’s degree” to secure suitable jobs. Yet, the bulk of these graduates barely manage to secure jobs in their chosen fields, and settle for doing anything available.

Is it really their fault? Are they all just worthless? Or are there other underlying issues which we are just burying under the carpet, piling to erupt as the country’s next pandemic?

Formal education systems are pertinent, but their modus operandi is as old as the first university on the planet. The present-day learning styles and curriculums barely reflect the real-world requirements. If anything, we are preparing these graduates to work in a world we left behind in the 19th century that focused on intelligence quotient (IQ) such as memorisation and standardisation skills.

We are now faced with a dilemma as globalisation does not spare us whether we are a developed country or not. The World Economic Forum (WEF) in their Future of Jobs report evaluated the current education systems against three criteria: Job Readiness, Ability to Compete against smart machines and Creating long-term Economic Value.

The report revealed that 34 percent of students believe their schools are not preparing them for success in the job market.

Moreover, 60 percent of future jobs have not been developed yet and 40 percent of nursery-age children in schools will need to be self-employed to have any form of income. The world is on the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution and our education systems are being rendered inadequate.

The first industrial revolution mechanised the work force; the second electrified production process; the third automated production through IT during the 21st century. The fourth is the Digital Revolution; it will soon become a phenomenon.

The most evident impact of this new industrial revolution is the rate of change, which is supersonic and exponential.

Take the use of smart phones, with computing powers which by far exceed those of the first rocket and spaceship used to put a man on the moon. The applications are powered by artificially intelligent systems that triangulate and suggest possible options from shopping to geo-location, to catching a taxi, to almost anything.

These technologies are being leveraged to replace people doing manual and computer-based tasks, with more speed, accuracy and effectiveness. Are our education systems really preparing us for such a world?

It appears that the way forward is a radical shift in mind-set. To think beyond fixed education systems and timeframes, like 8-4-4 and other parallel time-based education systems, and reimagine education as a lifelong learning process.

Making education more skills-based, and less of a memorisation chore, should be the goal of all learning providers, from primary, secondary to universities.

In fact, the rate at which technology is disrupting the scene, degrees are becoming redundant even before one completes the study.

The education sector, particularly post-secondary school, needs to adapt to become more agile to tackle this kind of disruption. A possible solution could be embracing modular learning, where a degree’s modules are taught, examined, and certified on a piece-meal basis.

A practical scenario may look like a student embarking on short courses while mixing it with work experience. The work experience can be orchestrated by the university itself with various employers who are willing to provide apprenticeships .

In the interim, a degree may be conferred upon completion of a combination of a minimum number of modules. However, the future may be a degreeless state of affairs, with a continuous learning education system, and the industry would rely on individuals having learnt, mastered and practically applied the skillsets.

The education sector needs to be up to speed with the world of innovation to be relevant to the industry lest the country suffers an economic setback as its citizens are left jobless while making the education sector redundant and replaced by more informal, in-house, on-the-job education by corporations building own pool of talent.

Vishal Soni, practical thought leader specialising in motivation, inspiration and sprituality in action.