By Charles Okoth
Does it matter which course one takes at the university? In any case, what is the difference between present and past university career paths? Well, it is that period again, when fresh high school graduates have filled university entry forms. Unlike in the past, this is now done on-line, hopefully giving the applicants a lot of room to think, and hence make a rational decision. They have been afforded enough time to revise their degree choices, and are now hopefully sure of where they will go when universities admit freshmen later in the year.
Those of us who joined university earlier can compare and contrast our time and the present; and as we do, we cannot help seeing the glaring differences between them.
Back then, we only had one university: The University of Nairobi. Kenyatta University, where some of us were housed, was then a constituent college of the parent university. The total number of students was slightly above three thousand. The total number of courses was also very small compared to the present situation.
Now the student population has skyrocketed to hundreds of thousands. The courses are also very many, if the number of ‘schools’ is anything to go by. There is also a number of private universities, all with significant numbers of students.
One can think of this as a positive thing. Many more Kenyans are being afforded an opportunity to pursue a college education. Hopefully, this is going to warrant them more opportunities on the labour market. It is also hopefully increasing our national awareness, as it were. Nonetheless, one would like to look at it at least on the surface.
But there is one telling implication: that unlike during our time, in the eighties, the job market is now flooded with degree holders. And, one must expect that getting a job will be far harder, regardless of having a degree.
Some of us view with nostalgia the time that we were released onto the labour market, after successfully finishing our university education. I remember being handed my letter of posting as a high school teacher by Mrs. Waweru, our then dean of students, even before I cleared the final examination. Think of it: jobs were waiting; no cumbersome interviews by BoGs (then; now BoMs). We were needed, even before we became available. As someone may say with a sigh, those were the days.
Today, with the glut of graduates, one has to undergo all manner of trouble to secure a job. Sometimes it can take as long as five years before someone finds themselves at the head of a long queue. Even then, there are always rumours of corruption; but that is a story for another day.
The fundamental question is this: should one enthusiastically take up a university place, and pursue any course offered diligently? Is there still that erstwhile prestige of going to university? To read anything, as long as it is offered in a university? Is it still worth the trouble, spending that time in school and paying for it so dearly, or suffering privation in the name of making it to graduate status?
After the four years (or more) at a university, one may tarmac for upwards of five years or even more. And during those five years, one is expected to eat, to clothe themselves, and have a roof over themselves. Somehow. One may also be expected to start one’s own family, and provide for them. The pressure is even more for a whole university graduate, who is expected to be a role model for many in their village. A person who has ‘gone to school’ like that is expected to be pretty well off, unlike their peers who did not reach that level.
Any student in school with a view of getting a job one day therefore, needs to interrogate their choice of courses. They cannot simply rush to go to university, read hard, pass, and expect jobs upon graduation. The simple fact is that the jobs are not there, unless one has done the right thing.
There have been lots of complaints about high level of unemployment in the country. But what does one really expect? Personally, and I have said this many times, in the media and other. We really need a career guidance board at national level. We need to forecast and know exactly how many of each calibre of personnel we will require at any given time.
We decry the absence of neuro-surgeons. We talk about schools sourly lacking teachers of physics. We talk about the small number of software engineers. Yet it just boils down to mere talk. No initiative is taken to correct the situation. Why? Because nobody is charged with this responsibility. Nobody takes the initiative to guide learners along their career paths-especially the choice of their courses.
I would offer a challenge to the ministry of education to ensure proper use of their products-graduates, for the country’s development. Why not justify the expenditure of money HELB gives out? Can this country afford giving loans to people who are not employable, hence will default in loan repayment?
Long ago, there used to be a Careers Booklet, published by the Ministry of Education. Somehow, someone came up and saw that this was an unnecessary expense. They did away with it. Yet it was useful guide for students in making informed decisions in life. Some decisions our technocrats make taste like the proverbial ‘sandpaper for mouth’, as Chinua Achebe would put it.
It would be fully in order to have that sort of document in circulation. Parents should read it. Teachers, education officers, politicians, and anybody interested in ensuring our youths are well-guided in life, should have access to such a guide. That way, children will be guided and encouraged to rationalize their career preferences. As such, a parent would have a basis of encouraging their child to pursue a certain path in life. Romanticizing such issues like giving the young people a choice would not be fashionable, since reality would be the rationale for the views of the guides.
The time when university education was mystified is long gone. The time when being at university had intrinsic prestige has followed suit. Now, it is a question of being led by reason. Don’t just face university education; face the future – with open eyes.
Okoth is a retired teacher based in Busia
