To begin with, I have so many of my readers who do not know you and/or know very little about you. Kindly permit me to introduce you to them.
Rishi was the British Chancellor of the Exchequer from February 2020 to July 2022 and resigned following the Chris Pincher scandal, according to Metro.
He is an intelligent Economist and a smart Politician. These qualities could be attributed to his private schooling at the £45,934-a-year Winchester College and graduating from Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at the University of Oxford.
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He is currently campaigning for the role of the next British Prime Minister. And part of his manifesto in reference to education is to do the following:
Do not misunderstand me, I love and very much support all the ideas of the manifesto, my only problem is with number one.
Although no examples were given, which I suppose careful consideration would be put before cracking down on even the assumed least degrees.
To go ahead with my suggestions on what to do instead. I want to first critically present some highlights that I believe completely fault this idea.
There has been a long present century argument on not only the importance of a university degree but also the importance of universities at large to an individual.
Turn in between two, more of the older generation would argue positively in support of getting a university degree, while most millennials and gen-z (like myself ) that have seen how money and a good life are achievable with or without a university degree may question the need or argue negatively.
My personal reservation is always the fact that education was never designed to make us rich but to make us civil.
However, just like you mentioned ‘A good education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet when it comes to making people’s lives better.’
So, why then do we have to determine which and which not degree is important and less?
When I studied Forestry Engineering in Spain, My Geobotany professor explained the importance of all living species by making reference to an aeroplane and how important even the smallest piece of nut is for the plane to safely fly.
While scientists are coming up with new lists of species in danger of extinction and how to preserve them, why then are humans endangering some of our human knowledge species?
Also, I argue that this crackdown will be detrimental to our human civilisation. Especially, when you relate it to Great Britain which has thrived through colonialism, cultural, and language richness.
Though no examples were given, students with a degree in languages, linguistics, and classics have the least employable degrees, according to the latest figures.
When I read this, I thought about the likes of William Shakespeare and other great contributors to this field, globally. And I felt how they would be less and less represented until finally, they vanish.
As we humans genetically have the ability to keep and discard.
Not only that, even now, I know the state of devastation some academics and students are going through in various universities in the UK (including mine) because universities are closing down departments and courses that are not fetching them so much money.
Now, here are my suggestions…
While I know some of my mates that studied for example BSc Business Management and Marketing, BSc Adult Nursing and Mental health, etc., the difference with what Americans are doing is that ultimately, majors are primary concentrations that make up the bulk of the classes, and minors are secondary focuses that can complement the major but don’t always need to.
I have an American friend who studied BSc in Computer Science (Major) and Entrepreneurship (Minor). This has equipped him to be very employable and to even start his own business.
I strongly believe that introducing this idea and implementing it constructively shall help save some departments and the academics there. And, also motivate more students to consider a university degree.
When I started my university education in Nigeria with BSc in Agricultural Extension, I remember that I was introduced to varieties of modules that were not necessarily related to my course.
For instance, I completed general studies modules which are mostly English Language courses, I also studied two different Mathematical modules, practical, physical, and organic Chemistry, two Biology modules, and two Agricultural Economics modules. And all these were just in my 1st academic year.
Whereas, in the UK, there seems to be a focus to train experts more than generalists.
The world is changing and the world of work is following suit. Employers need employees who know little about a lot.
I recently graduated with a degree in BSc Business Management. Although, I tried as much as possible to take advantage of the electives to tailor my degree according to my interest. There were still courses outside my reach that I wished I had, like modules in Business Law, Venture Capital, Taxation, Property, etc.
Some students because of their degrees offered them though.
I find it difficult sometimes that some critical laws are left in the hands of very few, which most times are not even directly affected.
I mean, why are men predominately involved in abortion rights; why are scientists the only ones that have the right to determine what happens to our DNA sharing with celestial bodies, etc?
Why can’t the academics and experts in these fields of study be left to prove their relevance to society?
I was left in awe when a friend that studied dance was explaining the science of dancing and body movements to me. I also have another friend that is interested in using the knowledge of his sociology and anthropology degree to create video games that will educate kids intentionally about other cultures and also a way to preserve our human civilisation and trends.
And even if harsh policies are mandatory, why not practically create exclusive colleges of learning for the people that a passionately interested in this subject to attend?
In all honesty, Mr. Sunak, as a business graduate I probably understand the concerns and motivation behind this aspect of your manifesto. I understand the financial strain on the government to fund some degrees via student loans and not being able to recover those. I also can imagine the pressure on the government on rising unemployment and growing inflation.
But, I also come with this point of argument — if humans should start eliminating courses based on relevance, then perhaps, in the next 50 to 100 years mankind will only be left to study computer-related courses. And that is if artificial intelligence has not taken even that away from us.
Photo / A picture of Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (Picture source: Metro)
Disclaimer: I am not a political person. In fact, although I often time find myself studying leadership styles and qualities, I still consider myself as someone that knows near to nothing about politics.
Thus, this open letter is not politically induced in any form! The motivation behind it is because it concerns ‘Education’. And that is a value I am very passionate about.
Who am I? I’m a class 2022 Business Management graduate from a London, England University (with 1st class honours). Prior to this, I started my university career with B.Agric Agricultural Extension, before I got an international scholarship to Spain where I completed a semester in BSc Forestry Engineering. I perceive myself as a generalist (I want to know a little about a lot), you should agree with me already, please! I really enjoy having a deep conversation with people about culture, their values, and goals; watching any form of comedy, and learning everything related to old and new technologies – and as you might have guessed, I love writing too! What do I do? For now, I hold a master’s degree offers in two of the top ten best universities in Britain. While I wait until the deadline to accept an offer, to give me more time to decide on which one to go for – I am currently working at what is now my former university as the International Recruitment Office Co-ordinator | Admissions Assistant. I am also an experienced qualitative, quantitative, and literature review researcher through serving several PhDs and Professors as a Research Assistant, and currently working on my solo paper that is about to be published soon. I started writing as a means to escape loneliness and connect with people as an international student very far from home and loved ones. I wrote an article about this, please read it on my Medium.com profile. What I can offer you? I have strong leadership and management experience gained as a branch manager at a real estate company in London with the ability to adapt and succeed in cross-cultural, target-focused environments. In addition, during my undergraduate studies, I was the Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnicity Ambassador for the Business School, and later served as the Student Race Equality Champion for the Faculty of Business and Law. I love practically exploring theories through applications to form methods and procedures to be more efficient. I see writing as a form of self-expression and I am here to write about those things that my mouth cannot say but wish could still be heard. With the hope that you resonate with them and that you enjoy them too. I write mostly about everything that I am passionate or worried about, with the intention to inspire, educate, and motivate. I also pledge to be consistent – so if you feel there is a connection between us, just do not hesitate to follow or send me a connection request.
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