Africa,s problem is trusting paper degree over skills and knowledge

[Su-asa]

That's true but now I think things are changing now, a lot of people are now demanding for people with skills, a lot of companies now ask for your years of experience before working with them and if they consider to employ you they are going to pay a out to through a learning programme that would go on for sometime before you can be allowed to start working. But it is better to have the skill, knowledge and certificate, because Africa can be very funny.

[boyptc]

The companies who are valuing skills and knowledge is starting to increase. They don't care about paper degrees because what they want is a real rockstar and problem solver.

On paper there are a lot of skills and knowledge but when it's on the hands on and actuality, you'd see them fail.

And that's why many degree holders fail in the skills test of the companies depending on what position they apply for.

Me as a person, I think there's still more edge in being more skilled and knowledgeable. But if I am in the wrong area and there's lack of opportunities, I'll move somewhere.

[viljy]

In general, this is not unique to Africa. Since the time when education has become a commodity, diplomas have been devalued as guarantees of the competencies of the holder of this diploma. This is understandable from a purely economic point of view.

If the sale of education has the main goal of profit, then in order to reduce costs, for example, the quality of this very education will decrease as one of the ways to increase the profitability of the educational business. By the way, Guy Standing touches on the problem of turning education into a commodity in his book "The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class".

[Juicyhome]

That's true but now I think things are changing now, a lot of people are now demanding for people with skills, a lot of companies now ask for your years of experience before working with them and if they consider to employ you they are going to pay a out to through a learning programme that would go on for sometime before you can be allowed to start working. But it is better to have the skill, knowledge and certificate, because Africa can be very funny.

Yeah, things has really changed in Africa, many people are more interested in skill before going to school for degree,  the government are not employing and many degree holders are on the street with a job, this generation don't think school first but having a skill that's demanding first.

If you have not skill you can't survive in Africa, no good jobs out there, you hVe to sort your wY out by engaging in skill for self employment. With your skill you can create job for others.  Content creating is another aspect of social media the Africans are using to feed family today,  we have many creators in Africa that are doing well for themselves.

[henmark]

Degrees are not valuable as they use to be before. Skills is needed too and the schools we have still hasn't upgraded. Universities focuses more on theoretical learning rather than hands on training. It's sad that we have more people without skills. And skills is that drive the economy more.

Our educational system is in a mess. Funny enough the government knows and don't give a damn. And as for today, companies would rather employ someone with skills and no degree than someone with degree and no skills. The world we leave in today. And we are far left behind than ever. I am referring to Nigeria.

It is not just on Africa but also on my country where they value more people with degree over people that have the skills and knowledge on a certain field but without a degree. There is like a bias between people that finished school over those that do not. the most important is the skills and knowledge I hope that it will be more appreciated that these people will be also noticed and given opportunities also because this people will help also drive the economy.

To be fair, this is true all around the world. In fact, so much so that, some nations have imported people from other countries, who do not have a degree, to do the jobs that people with degrees won't do. Like cleaning out gutters were something people used to do, either themselves, or hire someone, these days nobody wants that.

Farmers for example, if you have hectares and hectares big farm, you can't do it yourself, and you fail to find people willing to do it, because they all have degrees. So what happened? Immigration. And there aren't enough jobs for the people with degrees, whereas people without degrees have all kinds of chances. I met with a dude, who was a "cowboy" basically, sure not in America, but all he did was take 150 sheep from a farm, take them out to pasture, and bring it back, daily, everyday. He was making three times the money I was making, every month.

[Cryptomultiplier]

Degrees are not valuable as they use to be before. Skills is needed too and the schools we have still hasn't upgraded. Universities focuses more on theoretical learning rather than hands on training. It's sad that we have more people without skills. And skills is that drive the economy more.

Our educational system is in a mess. Funny enough the government knows and don't give a damn. And as for today, companies would rather employ someone with skills and no degree than someone with degree and no skills. The world we leave in today. And we are far left behind than ever. I am referring to Nigeria.

It is not just on Africa but also on my country where they value more people with degree over people that have the skills and knowledge on a certain field but without a degree. There is like a bias between people that finished school over those that do not. the most important is the skills and knowledge I hope that it will be more appreciated that these people will be also noticed and given opportunities also because this people will help also drive the economy.

To be fair, this is true all around the world. In fact, so much so that, some nations have imported people from other countries, who do not have a degree, to do the jobs that people with degrees won't do. Like cleaning out gutters were something people used to do, either themselves, or hire someone, these days nobody wants that.

Farmers for example, if you have hectares and hectares big farm, you can't do it yourself, and you fail to find people willing to do it, because they all have degrees. So what happened? Immigration. And there aren't enough jobs for the people with degrees, whereas people without degrees have all kinds of chances. I met with a dude, who was a "cowboy" basically, sure not in America, but all he did was take 150 sheep from a farm, take them out to pasture, and bring it back, daily, everyday. He was making three times the money I was making, every month.

It's as if OP heard the conversation I was having with a friend today while driving. We talked about how the educational system hasn't for once changed since we were little till now when we have children and they learn sane things we once learned when we were younger.
The funny thing is that in all of this, there's no subject that teaches these children how to build wealth or manage businesses and all they care about is grades and GPA and degrees that can't even get one a meaningful paying job in the country.

I could remember a time in my country where Africa's richest man, Dangote, placed an advert online for recruitment of drivers in his company and there were so many M.Sc holders and Doctorate holders vying for that job offering. It's quite pathetic that the educational system teaches one to study and at the end of the day, hunt for daily income or salaries that may be worth nothing and those who didn't bother going to school to get these certificates or degrees or even drop out of school do better when they invest their time in learning business and building wealth.

The colonial system of education has made people believe that certificate is wealth, whereas as we grow up and have come to realize, the real wealth is the actual capacity to build wealth, repair and innovate as real value that brings the true wealth we seek.

[M47AK16]

That's true but now I think things are changing now, a lot of people are now demanding for people with skills, a lot of companies now ask for your years of experience before working with them and if they consider to employ you they are going to pay a out to through a learning programme that would go on for sometime before you can be allowed to start working. But it is better to have the skill, knowledge and certificate, because Africa can be very funny.

Yeah, things has really changed in Africa, many people are more interested in skill before going to school for degree,  the government are not employing and many degree holders are on the street with a job, this generation don't think school first but having a skill that's demanding first.

If you have not skill you can't survive in Africa, no good jobs out there, you hVe to sort your wY out by engaging in skill for self employment. With your skill you can create job for others.  Content creating is another aspect of social media the Africans are using to feed family today,  we have many creators in Africa that are doing well for themselves.

That is not a bad idea, if you have a skill that is always good. But, you also have to remember that we are talking about a situation where we could make some great money from this, and should not be unhappy about it.

I understand it may make some profit for you, but at the end of the day as long as we have nothing to do with this situation, we should be considering how this could be make some sense in the end. I understand this is not an easy thing to do, but it can be done and we should focus on getting greater returns for the long term.

[Rain1620]

One of the disease eating up Africa's development was the brainwashed the European slave masters gave to them about school. They were taught how to read and write what the Europeans wrote,no skills attached,no knowledge just know how to read and write. Today, the world has gone beyond you just acquiring degrees to you acquiring skills and knowledge. The world economy is been revolutionized and Africa lacks the man power to do that . Africans just attend universities to learn  more than what they learnt in primary and secondary schools.

This is actually the sad truth. In the colonial era, the model of education practice was not to raise creative minds, entrepreneurs nor for innovation. It was particularly to raise loyal and obedient clerks and aswell administrators to actively keep the empire going increasingly. Even after some decades most of the continents are still operating by those rules, prioritizing the degree like it’s a ticket to success. Now the desperation in acquiring these degrees and certifications has reared multitude that are only good in exam halls but can’t solve life problems.

The annoying part is that while most part of the world are rapidly shifting to proofs or work like critical thinking, innovation, brainstorming, coding etc to foster growth, our local system are denying asses, picking glittering stones and leaving the golds behind. Because tell me why they are gate keeping an opportunity with rigid academic requirements that the poor can’t even afford. And they don’t even have these qualifications themselves. There are creative minds, technicians, engineers but sadly, they are not qualified because they don’t have the stamped papers.

Their future is in The hands of the creative minds, problem solvers, and those who are willing to learn and adapt. Not just the credential holders. Till hands-on capabilities and proof of work is prioritized legally, we’ll continue to live behind the global era leaving us dependent of other nations.

[Nightwatchmare]

The way African father's takes degree holder so important than skills and knowledge is so annoying, An African father will prefer suffering in other to make sure his children goes to school and acquire just a degree. They have forgotten that investing in skills and knowledge is the most powerful and valuable thing when it comes to life, because that's what put food in your table. We have forgotten all about agriculture, we see it as a local thing to learn. I am not saying education is not good, all am saying is that skills and knowledge should come first, before degree. When you look at China today, from their nursery and primarys they have started teaching their kids different kinds of skills either related to them or not, and you see them growing with it by inventing so many things that we the Africans will like and buy from them. But, in Africa at that stage our children will end up learning A,B,C,D which is wrong. I have seen so many African father's who will abandon their children, just because they said, they would not want to go to school, but rather want to acquire a skill. This is our problem in Africa we think acquiring a skill only will not make people respect us.

[Satofan44]

The way African father's takes degree holder so important than skills and knowledge is so annoying, An African father will prefer suffering in other to make sure his children goes to school and acquire just a degree. They have forgotten that investing in skills and knowledge is the most powerful and valuable thing when it comes to life, because that's what put food in your table. We have forgotten all about agriculture, we see it as a local thing to learn.

What is this nonsense? What has agriculture anything to do with this? People who are very successful are not going to be doing agriculture unless that is their hobby, why would they? They are earning money and have success on a level that enables them to avoid wasting time in rudimentary activities, whether it is cleaning or growing food or whatever. Usually (aside those who choose this as their hobby) people grow food to save money or to gain some health benefit that they are not able to gain from what is locally available in food. As you get more successful and richer, you are going to be delegating many activities to others by the use of your money which saves time and enables you to do what you want. Implying that you should learn these things is suggesting someone to go the wrong way, towards lessening their development.

I have seen so many African father's who will abandon their children, just because they said, they would not want to go to school, but rather want to acquire a skill. This is our problem in Africa we think acquiring a skill only will not make people respect us.

If you want to make your own decisions, then fucking own up to the responsibilities and consequences. If a child wants to do something completely idiotic or wrong, you are not obligated to support them. If you want to act like a grown up, then deal with the consequences of being a grown up. Most of the terrible adults that we have these days are a result of bad parenting, and giving in to the whims, tantrums and idiocy of children is one of the primary reasons for that. You can acquire said "skills" at practically any age, most people can not return to acquire a difficult degree later in life -- they do not have the capability for the learning that is required, completing easy and useless degrees does not count.

[Finebone]

That's true but now I think things are changing now, a lot of people are now demanding for people with skills, a lot of companies now ask for your years of experience before working with them and if they consider to employ you they are going to pay a out to through a learning programme that would go on for sometime before you can be allowed to start working. But it is better to have the skill, knowledge and certificate, because Africa can be very funny.

In Africa you need more than educational certificates to be successful because jobs are hard to come by, that's why you need more than a certification to make it in Africa. Though some people are having it easy due to luck or knowing someone in government or a big private firm that will connect them and make things easier for them, but when you don't know anyone and you are only depending on your certificate, their is a big chance that you may live below the poverty line forever.

 You will see a lawyer or an engineer going into business without making use of their certificate, it's mostly because their is no opportunity available to such person, not that he or she love what they are doing, because at that point it's more about survival than passion.