HALF-BAKED GRADUATES: WHO IS TO BLAME?

By Isaac Meso
“We are sorry we can’t take you in, we need graduates who can deliver”. This is the last statement that any graduate dreads to hear when he/she attends a job interview. Employers and the corporate world in the recent past have raised concern over the kind of graduates that are released into the job market. Their worry has been, despite these graduates having admirable academic achievements, the lack of the ability to deliver in their areas of profession. Therefore, this begs the question; whom do we blame for the existence of half-baked graduates in the job market today?

One of the major causes of this crisis is the current curriculum in our institutions of higher learning. Even in purely technical subjects like engineering, lecturers heavily dwell on the theoretical rather than the practical aspect which is vital especially in the corporate world.

“I wish we could be taught more on how to do it than be taught in theory since I still feel that I am not ready for the media world out there. I can’t even distinguish between the types of microphones because I haven’t interacted with them,” says Edwin, a finalist in the School of Information Sciences. Most courses offered usually require practical application in the field but most students end up spending the four years cramming huge chunks of notes. These students soon graduate with a lot of theory in their minds.

Another reason is the age-old practice, common with most institutions of higher learning in Kenya – studying to pass exams. This is a notion that has been passed from one generation to another. Unfortunately, its effects are manifested in the job market with the existence of half-baked graduates.

“I only study to pass my exams. Any time you find me in the library, the exams are around the corner or I am studying for a CAT,” says Eugene, a sociology student. Many students, unlike old folks, have taken studying and doing personal research as a backdrop.
Using information from the internet and plagiarizing it into their take-away assignments and term papers has become the order of the day. Students no longer study to gain knowledge but rather, to pass exams and forget whatever they had studied as soon as they leave the exam room. This has affected the performance of these students once they are absorbed into the job market.

Lastly, you will agree with me that the overstretched infrastructure especially in the public universities has negated the quality of education being offered in these institutions of higher learning. An example is Moi University where students have to carry their room chairs to class. To add salt to injury, the introduction of the double intake programme has congested universities. Students are forced to stand outside lecture halls during a class due to lack of space.

James, a B.A student questions “How do you expect me to perform when most of the time I find the class overcrowded so that I have to learn from outside?” In view this compromises the quality of education. Employees who are incompetent in their areas of study are produced.

We can play the blame game on the existence of half-baked graduates in the job market today but one fact stands out; we need to change the curriculum and education system. Moreover, we need to change our mind sets if we are to end this half-baked graduate syndrome.