I was just having a conversation
with my colleague 7ala about educated people and sophisticated ones and how
there is a huge difference between both. In a country like
If we go back 40 or 50 years in time and see how Jordan or the whole Arab World was for that matter; we will find that only a minority of population got the opportunity to pursue higher education; this minority was usually from the rich class because they could afford to send their children abroad at a time we did not have universities here.
I think it was initiated then that almost all people wanted to children to become doctors or engineers because those were in high demand at the time, they would graduate and find jobs waiting for them and they would make good money that will help them and their families to survive.
That generation got the most benefit out of education because they were a rare currency at that time and they did not need to struggle to find a job. The country was still less congested, they were needed and the value of our currency was much higher than now which facilitated financial growth for this group.
With time; more schools and universities were established, education was made obligatory for both genders, public schools made it possible for lower classes of the society to send their children to school. With passing years; the population increased significantly and at the same time the value of the currency was reduced.
In the last 20 years of this
country's life, we have witnessed changes take place and we have proved that we
are capable to adapt no matter what the circumstances were.
One of these changes was that most
of the people are educated with at least the first university degree, and just
like any rule in this world; more supply means less demand and this is exactly
what happened to our generation; we came at a time where there is no
significant need or demand for our certificates; we now resemble those who had
no education so 30 or 40 years ago.
What could be the solution? Stop people from pursuing higher education and move more towards technical professions?
Isn't it a valid point that the education fees are getting higher to push those who cannot afford it to learn something handy? Maybe it is a message to all those middle and lower class or even poor people to take their children out of schools and pushing them towards workshops and technical training centers to learn a profession that sends the individual earlier into the workforce.
To tell you the truth; I really
don’t find anything wrong with this approach; if a person is not into physics,
math and chemistry, why not learn something he would benefit from and give back
to his family and the society as a whole. Instead of wasting the years on
learning things he/she will never like or comprehend; isn't it easier if they
shift towards practical education and save themselves and their folks time and
money?
Yes, everyone has the right to get education, I am not defying that, but what if this education will be all wasted if this particular someone was not good at it or did not find anything to do with it when he/she graduates?
Yesterday; I read a post by the caller; she was talking about all these young people dreaming of leaving their countries to a place that would provide them with a better opportunity to work and make money, but couldn't it have been easier for some of these people to learn something that would give them the same if not a better opportunity in their own countries?
How do we manage to land good jobs in a place where everyone is educated? How can someone accept to be paid pennies after he/she worked so hard and studied harder for over 16-20 years? What is the solution?
The way I see it, it is no longer special or extraordinary to have a university degree; 30 years ago; a university graduate was someone people looked up to and youngsters saw as a role model. These days; we are like everyone else, we are all educated.
What sets the records straight is how sophisticated people are. The problem with us is that we don’t read and no, newspapers are not considered reading material!
What makes technicians,
carpenters, electricians, mechanics, painters … etc. thought less of, is that
when they leave school, they ditch reading and they do not develop themselves
intellectually; they stop at that point and never grow up. What everyone must
realize is that being sophisticated has nothing to do with being educated.
Although it is easier for an educated person to grow into becoming
sophisticated; it is not impossible for the uneducated to do that as well; all
they need is the desire, willpower, determination and persistence and then they
will become extraordinary with no doubt.
said:
said:
No offense but this is a classist point of a view. why try to put yourself above someone else. Jordan is a poor and troubled country and its elite are impotent anyway, sophisticated or not.
but i will share my criteria of sophistication: giving, sacrificing, caring, etc. such are noble and higher human traits that do reflect a more refined cultural evolution. ironically, most of these traits in the arab world are found in religious movements where the level of "giving" and "volunteerism" is at its highets. what good is sphistication and reading if it does not improve society and the human condition. i do not mean to preach, a am only offerring a point of view since this is i guess what you are hopign to get on a blog.