How competition has led to ‘Diploma Disease’

The education sector has made big strides over the last decades. Technological innovations and inventions have their roots in educational advancement. The quality of human life has continuously improved thanks to the developments in various fields of knowledge. As a result there has been a turnaround effect on man’s existence on earth. Technological advancements have resulted in bottle neck competition between countries, regions and continents. Talk about the Second World War. The arms struggle that heightened tension between the Western powers was a result of expansions and advancements in education. When more arms were in place, the stage was set for experimentation of their might- firing at each other. This is not my interest though. Get my point. Competition is very stiff and the world needs the best. The best reap the best too. No wonder Dr. Ben Carson made the discovery that there is nothing like discrimination in this world for those who think they have something to offer it. If you have something to offer, then you will be unconditionally embraced and accorded a standing ovation, maybe. The best have only heard about discrimination but never experienced it. In a bid to be the best, people have resorted to getting more and more qualifications. Schools, colleges and universities are full to the brim. Sometimes you go to get admission and you are denied. you wonder if the guys are really in business! Employers are also complicating the already delicate situation. They want the best qualifications too. Consequently, advancing lower skills has been the order of the day because of the scarcity of employment opportunities, many people resort to stay in education institutions to get more qualifications with the hope of getting better jobs. As a result, they accumulate certificates, a condition known as ‘Diploma Disease’ in education circles. Charles Darwin’s theory of Survival of the Fittest lives large these days. The trends in the job market are a reincarnation of the tenets of the theory. Those with the best grades and certificates are almost the only ones who are the targets of the most lucrative careers. As contemporary education trends seem to put more emphasis on success measured by achievements in the standardized tests and examinations, those who fail the tests are labeled as failures by the standards of the test markers. As a means of survival, some people have developed dubious means of securing employment. They either attend higher education institutions that are not accredited or forge certificates. What is more horrifying is the weakness in those who seek cheap qualifications. They even fail to defend their papers. Can you imagine a person going to attend an interview with Master’s and PhD qualifications without a Bachelor’s degree? What a great leap from nowhere to PhD? These are imposters. The big question now is how the education systems can reward high achievers without producing residues in the process. The Rwandan government has been rooting for the expansion of TVET. This practical skills driven segment of education training can achieve much and help to alleviate the predicament of the jobless youth if the contemptuous attitude towards it is melted out. TVET provides alternative job skills that permit both self-employment and employment in different sectors of the economy. Though widely regarded as blue collar, TVET graduates have been on great demand in the recent past. Diversity is needed in education. The education systems should prepare graduates for life not employment. How to do this is your riddle and mine too. znyamosi@yahoo.com