There was once a time when university graduates were viewed with respect. A bachelor’s degree in those days was an admirable qualification. In contrast, today people complain that graduates do not even know how to read and write correctly. University graduates are now aplenty. Almost on a daily basis employers have to face the unpleasant situation of dealing with graduates of poor standard who are looking for jobs.
University officials say they are not responsible for the poor performance of its products because the young people are of very poor academic standard to begin with when they enroll in the university. They place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the General Education Department, as it is this agency’s responsibility to make sure high school graduates know how to read and write well. However, one wonders why the university allowed them to enroll in the first place if they were such poor academic performers.
Some professors complain that they are blamed when students fail. In a sense, universities are like law courts, which have no authority to change a law but have to deal with the cases on the basis of the prevailing law. In other words, professors should teach their students sincerely and without fear or favor. A professor should be stern and uncompromising when the quality of education is at stake.
I still respect some of my university professors abroad, although they were very harsh with us students when it came to academic matters. My respect for them has grown after witnessing the steep decline in the educational level of universities at the hands of kind professors and negligent teachers who shirk away from the responsibility of upholding high academic standards.
Unemployment, undoubtedly, is a vital national issue to be tackled urgently, particularly when graduates in the thousands are coming out of universities and other institutes annually. Is it fair though, on the other hand, to coerce employers to recruit degree holders who cannot read and write correctly, not conversant in any foreign language, or not able to work with a computer? Two essential qualifications for jobs these days are the skill to use computers and a proficiency in foreign languages.
