Two weeks ago, Strathmore University’s deputy vice chancellor Dr Vincent Ogutu underscored a fundamental function of higher education that most educated people do not know or care little about. “We train our students to become leaders by leveraging on the secondary education they have received in high school,” he said.
Ogutu pointed out that the function of a university education should go beyond training professionals such as engineers to fill positions in public and private establishments. He was speaking after then acting Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i expressed concern that our universities produce graduates with an ‘officer’ mindset than is good for the needs and aspirations of the country.
Both were speaking during the inaugural public lecture in honour of the late Harvard Professor Calestous Juma at Strathmore University College. Implicit in the two speakers’ remarks is the idea that the purpose of the university is to cultivate the intelligence of students to their uttermost limits.
The West and Asian Tigers are still grappling with how to best cultivate and not simply stuff students with inert knowledge, despite their comparatively long tradition of higher education. The countries want educated people to drive the change and innovation needed to deal with the complexities of modern life.
Regardless of reputation, every university imparts and advances human knowledge about the natural universe and man. It also provides training for the next scholars and researchers.
The university creates and promotes opportunities for undergraduate and professional education for those who take leadership in technical, administrative and political fields — the crucible that governs society —be it in the private sector, public, secular or religious.
Universities are seen to have discharged this obligation if the students they release back into the world have knowledge, critical thinking and analytical skills, besides rudimentary skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic. The students must inescapably evince strong problem-solving skills, and generally speaking, an inquisitive or skeptical mind that does not take things for granted.
It is from such a mindset that innovative ideas are spawned. The presence in society of a corps of competent products from higher education institutions is a powerful force for improvement. They question things.
They question the ground upon which policies and programmes are laid, as well as established traditions, whether technical, administrative or procedural. They are not awed by the gales of public opinion that sometime overwhelm the body politic during times of stress. They suggest possible solutions to problems.
It does not matter what programme the students studied. The programmes should be intellectually demanding. Society wants to see effective and efficient institutions and systems addressing problems — be they in the courts, wards, classrooms, industrial and manufacturing establishments, legislative halls or in government offices. It is the duty of universities to manufacture men and women to manage these institutions.
The ideal situation can be realised if university curricula are designed to cultivate analytical and critical thinking skills to help students to respond to real and emerging change.
The production of such a product envisages that universities have rigorous curricula and excellent faculty that provide challenge, guidance and enrichment to undergraduates as they interrogate the course content. It must also have in its library system — traditional and virtual — appropriate textbooks, books and journals, modern teaching equipment and other essentials.
This is the ideal of top universities in the US, UK, Continental Europe, Japan, Australia and the emerging Asian Tigers have or are aspiring to.
It is not peculiar for the government to urge higher education institutions to give topnotch education to students by requiring rigorous programmes that have depth and breadth. Universities should prepare students for leadership, by going beyond simply giving knowledge and technical skills.