EDUCATION does not begin and end with schooling. Formal education will be reduced to a mere paper chase if we think that its scope is limited.
Institutions of higher learning are then nothing more than degree and diploma mills.
Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi of UCSI University hit the nail on the head with his commentary on the limitations of our education system.
By failing to instill the need for continuous learning beyond formal education, we risk grooming a generation of stagnated minds. Rapid technological advances are transforming our lives.
It is not unusual to find staff who refuse to adapt with time and they work within limited skill sets.
Oddly, it is a bigger problem with younger staff than the older ones.
Their limitations could only be due to the education system which has undergone numerous changes, maybe for the worse.
We do find professionals and experts who keep abreast of the latest trends and are on top of the game. Lower down the workplace hierarchy are those who would not leave their comfort zones.
If our education system does not serve as a catalyst for critical thinking, or out-of-the-box approaches, we will continue to churn out underachievers.
But beyond producing true capabilities and progressive intellectuals, there are less tangible but bigger setbacks due to our stymied approach to formal education. We inevitably smother human ingenuity.
Without a doubt, it does not instil an exploratory nature in students that could lead to self-actualisation, awakening, or even enlightenment.
Instead of encouraging students to be exploratory, it has been drummed into them to be more exploitatory in nature and approach.
In achieving self-actualistion, we can develop a society of people who will feel fulfilled in performing to their true capabilities. Self-actualised workers do their best work in any organisation.
Mohd Tajuddin wrote that the words “awakening” or “enlightenment” are rarely uttered at talks, forums, seminars or in books from our universities.
Awaken literally means “to rise from sleep”, but more profoundly, it signifies an awareness of our true potential and genius within.
Take it a step further and we have enlightenment. We will then have inclusiveness, which will help to address the many issues plaguing our society that Mohd Tajuddin raised.
“Racial mistrust is on the rise. Religious extremism and bigotry have grown exponentially. Cultural intolerance is at its height, with silly issues taking centrestage,” he wrote.
Due to the inadequacy of our education system, we suffer from limited identities and continue to define ourselves by our race, ethnicity, religion and many other divisive lines.
Instead of shaping limited identities and reinforcing divisiveness, these social issues could be addressed if we use education to foster greater inclusiveness.
True education not only arms us with paper qualifications, it also inculcates the right values, nurtures intelligence and character, and helps to develop more holistic individuals and a more inclusive society.
