Beyond academic insignia – Part 2

So rare is the instance where the unlettered and unenlightened are involved in the direct governmental processes not for a reason of their sub-normality or beastly display; it is just that there is a missing link between the two sharp, extreme positions. As earlier said that a graduate of tertiary certification ought to be in charge of the situations around him; rather than being a spineless coward or absentee performer of sort.

Indeed, are the graduates of our contemporary reckoning really up to the demanding task? Have they been sufficiently trained, prepared and equipped for what lie ahead of them or just as lately characteristic of us; dismantle our past legacies of renown achievements, jettison the present efforts of standardising sought solutions while the unpredictable future is handed over to momentary happenstances? After all, one can only give what one has.

On their own, has this generation of graduates done everything possible to make a distinct and direct impact on what are expected of them or have they fearfully contented themselves with what are grudgingly thrown at them by the ruling tenacious powers-that-be? Going by man’s historic orbit, over the entire universe, no fundamental change comes about…without major shaking and foundational dislocations. None whatsoever in any sphere of human endeavour.

Comparatively, what exactly is the worth of a 21st century-produced graduate to that of the preceding 20th century? Were the former graduates better taught, trained and sufficiently enlightened than the current ones? Were those of the old days more fulfilled, full of more hard work, sound morals, freely independent minded and more of sheer willpower of excellence?

In the days of yore, campus life serenely had more of a serious-minded and vision-craving setting than what obtains now of cultist criminality, daring deviance, deadly anti-social vices, inordinate ambition, condemnable impunity and gang-induced violence. But is this not a true reflection of our current larger society? Why play the deceptive ostrich game of self-defense?

Meeting up to societal expectations, were the earlier graduates more marketable than the now-produced ones and were those of the past more grounded on solid foundation than, as alleged, the now half- or quarter-baked, reeled-out mere statistics? Worse still, is the present set of graduates so intellectually lazy and structurally inept that it has to be spoon-fed on almost all issues of life? Apparently…the answers blow in the wind!

Ironically, an account was once recorded during a national youth service corps(NYSC) orientation drilling-exercise around year 2011 in which a freshly mobilised graduate was asked: did you actually go to the particular university you claimed to have attended? And his shocking response was; ‘I go’!

By inference, within and beneath each societal turbulence lie its sown seeds, indulgent laxity and consequentially decadent fruits as each and everyone can only give what is in one’s possession. The average graduate is a loud echo of its larger society and beyond empty, wishful thinking is this reality of life; typically like a sumo wrestler who can hardly ever punch above his weight.

Over the whole world, the university is considered as an ivory tower where its expected strategic thinking adequately meet risen problems and, far and wide, it is a sort of town-and-gown collaboration of last resort, if usefully harnessed.

Indisputably, one main reason why it is negatively different here is the existing but avoidable, poor leadership materials at both the academic arena and governmental processes which result in wanton wastage of several resources. Owing to this sharp and widening disconnect, the inherent benefits of the university vis-a-vis related tertiary system precariously hangs in emptiness, making its products and the nation at large the worse for it.

In the not too distant era ago, graduates in this part of the world were such a prized treasure eagerly sought in the British commonwealth of nations as well as its so packaged technical aid corps scheme once compared to America’s peace corps programme. Besides, time was when before a graduate received his scroll of honour, ample job opportunities were already at his screening discretion. Not any longer, as ravaging wolves and vultures had devoured such renowned treasures and luxuries of opportunities had disappeared with the wind of ( better or worse?) change.

Nevertheless, resolutely, it is at crucial crossroads like this era of over-saturation, pronounced lack, confusion, hopelessness and inertia that the real stuff each graduate is made of comes to the fore and when the war-tested men are handsomely separated from the whining boys and the toughened women are identifiably sorted from the diapered-girls.

At this stage of life, the issues at stake go beyond mere academic certification as the mental endowment, maturity make-up, power of applied wisdom and ability to make effective use of available resources readily manifest.

As one sage was once quoted to have said: a better line of defence is by frontal attack and for a graduate worthy of his/her calling and beholden certification; such a fellow has to go all out to surmount erroneously labeled insurmountable obstacles and do the needful.That is the steam and beauty of being baptised as a graduate of…honours, distinction and merit. Good enough, academic certification and meaningfully sound education can be likened to a coin of two interfaces which to some tolerable extent can be used to achieve similar rather than same purposes.

As a truly liberated individual, a graduate is expected to abide by some decorum of regulatory ethics; top of which are visionary focus for a better society, altruistic leadership over the generality of the common folk looking up to such privileged few for ‘clear-cut directional signs’; and raising ‘defensive mechanisms’ against resources mismanagement and tenacious tyranny.

Curiously, getting the expected best out of the present generation of graduates goes beyond the seal of mere certification as everything that needs doing just has to be done without let, hindrance or delay. Distinctly, the existing disconnecting curricular-course contents and merit-killing system at large have to be completely dismantled, reappraised and 180°-turned around to meet the yearnings of the graduating lot on one hand while on the other hand close the yawning gulf between the needs of the society and the recipient graduates.

More than ever before is the urgency of establishing science and technology (S&T) parks where strategically needed (not for cheap political reasons). With these magnetising platforms of self actualisation fully operational, willing individuals and the wide spectrum of the society can be afforded solid grounds to unleash their hitherto-bottled ingenuity(such as America’s Silicon Valley and other global S&T nerve-points which characteristically birth needed young turks for generational systemic reorientation).

Gradually but assuredly, the era and norm of mass-producing semi-baked, perennially job-seeking graduates may indeed have been pushed to the backyard of irrelevance/historical archives while a new dawn of developmental ideas would have berthed.

In a specific way, the pervasive attitudinal orientation of graduates might have been transformed to creating employments cum diverse services-driven efforts. As assertive change agents of sort along with a different dimension of new personalised initiatives and renewed coexistence; a new nation of relentless tigers preying for a 21st century development model would have been duly prompted. In fact, this might be a comedic echo of a happy ending to a bad rubbish…of colonial antiquities, debarring backwardness and other collaborative obstacles.

One charging reason why so much is expected from a thoroughbred and articulate graduate is because the society credits these typical individuals with some peculiar virtues. Such include the hallmarks of excellence, superior intelligence, applied wisdom, qualitative reasoning, thick moral fibre and this rare power of problem-solving which can not be picked off the market stall.

Even in the event of seeming impossibilities; a well-grounded graduate ought to be a trusted pathfinder while the rest of the pack follows suit along a carefully laid-track of concerted efforts. In total sum, the university is still the princely choice of those who crave learning for its main purpose of lighting the candle of the unenlightened in a very direct and impacting way.

As an academically ideas-driven eatery which is well and able to meet the genuine needs of the intellectually hungry and demonstrative deeds of the consciously thirsty for sound knowledge; it may not be out of place to reevaluate what should certainly make this supposed citadel of knowledge and similar ones tick and vibrant.

Among these are the visionary purpose, set-targets, required resources, strategic positioning and complete overhauling of the process of evaluating intending graduates…well beyond mere paper certification or by subjective awards of certificate, diploma, bachelor, master, doctoral or professorial insignias.
• Omolade, gokeomolade@hotmail.com