Costar Musunga

Early perspective

By going to school, children can learn the skills that are needed for the workplace. This means they are more likely to get a job in future, earn an income, and support a family.  The country benefits too; having a more skilled workforce drives economic growth as educated workers are paid more and work more efficiently. This is every child’s wish. In Africa, we were told education is the key to success, education is the best equalizer to say the least. The only thing we were not told is to which extent should one study.

Gevers (1996:191) describes qualifications as “necessary ingredients of a learning society. They allow rigour concentration and coherence of lifelong learning and they ensure that integration of learning has taken place.” Cosser (1985. citing World Guide 1996) argued that the “negotiable values of qualifications range from upward social mobility - offsetting inequalities attributable to the accident of birth or of financial status to social rigidity and immobility – defining guaranteeing and encompassing certain socio-professional monopolies.” Any modern society in which the concept of lifelong learning and the associated ideal of a learning society has been accepted and is promoted attaches great value to qualifications as they promise benefits not only to individuals but also to society at large. 

Employment opportunities

Good employment opportunities, especially early on in a career, are often reserved for those with a good education, which helps build a strong Curriculum Vitae. By being able to go to school and receive an education, students leave school with a higher chance of getting a job. In most African countries, the value of education begins to regress just after the first degree. As much as one appreciates furthering their studies, upgrading qualifications and skills, it always becomes a waste of time. Job seekers tend to hide their added qualifications because they actually add no value to their career pathways even if they mean acquisition of advanced knowledge in a particular discipline. A survey conducted by the Namibia University of Science and Technology in 2018 indicated that the most appropriate level of education for employment in Namibia is certificate, diploma and bachelor’s degree. This only means there is a bit of silence against the relevance of higher qualifications. Employed individuals avoid furthering study but rather opt to diversify knowledge in entry degree of different fields. They no longer wish to extend knowledge through professional upgrades.

Career advancement and recognition

Your qualification in Africa matters most at entry level. Further qualification usually carries less value in relation to the requirements sought during promotion or recognition of expert knowledge. The fact that the relationship between qualifications and quality is an obvious one but is often missed is pointed out by Bird and Gamble (1996) who argue that qualifications are ultimately the gatekeepers of standards (quality). “They are the mechanisms which attach quality to a person and qualifies the person as a member of a particular group: be it membership of a trade or profession; a field of learning such as philosophy or physics; or an occupational area such as nursing or managing.” (Bird & Gamble 1996107).

The understanding by Bird and Gamble could be better appreciated if it was associated with the reality in most African states. The term career seems to have a distorted meaning nowadays because it has limited relationship with the qualifications attainable towards the development of such a career. Those that intends to build their careers through upgrade of qualifications, just pile up certificates that are not even considered as part of their professional development. Career paths are missed because they are misdirected by the need of academic concern. General consensus in career advancement in most countries in Africa has shifted to experience and politics. 

Focus on the future

The future of education and its relevance lies in the choices and opportunities available now while there is room for management of skills. While there is little doubt that the African continent needs competitive qualifications, there is a lot of debate about how to accomplish this. A report published in June 2018, entitled ‘Building PhD Capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa’, was produced by the British Council and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), in cooperation with the African Network for Internationalisation of Education and University College London Institute of Education. The report suggests the reason that might be associated to why the qualifications obtainable by most Africans are not taken seriously by job markets and civil systems that regulate civil services. The skills application of graduates’ response to the work demand at times fails to meet the standards desired by employers. Hence a call to fortify the credibility of higher qualifications obtained by African scholars. Amidst distinct graduates who have proven relevance to their career skills, there are grey spots for aspirants in education who would settle for a title rather than skills and knowledge upgrade. We need to wash away this perspective and embrace productivity through improved education and expertise.

Currently, Africa Fact Zone published a top 11 list of African countries with most educated people, Equatorial Guinea (95%) Seychelles (94%) South Africa (93%) Libya (90%) Mauritius (89%) Botswana (87%) Burundi (87%) Cape Verde (85%) Zimbabwe (84%) Eswatini (83%) Gabon (82%). One tends to think what value these educationists have on their countries?

Namibia does not feature on the list above, however, one may agree with me that there are signs that most Namibians are getting fast upgrading in education and their education should be put to best use in order to respond correctly to nation building.

* Costar Musunga is a chief education officer in the Zambezi region.