Should universities in the Global South focus more on fostering students’ job-specific skills or instead focus more on “values and knowledge” development? What are the consequences?
I think, there is a urgent need to connect them all: knowledge, values & job skills and see there a causal link between them. Without knowledge and theoretical understanding of the subject, tailoring of proper job skills is not that easy if not reachable...First, build on knowledge and then work on job skills as a natural process of learning (as a futher step based on knowledge). Good job skills could work only in a only specific position but not understanding of the theoretical background of the specific process could cause in a fail in long-term work processes. I see knowledge as an input and skills and a demonstration/applying of knowledge and the both are two different concepts. I think the more appropriate discussion could base on the question whether knowledge produces skills? Or could skills produce knowledge maybe?
I believe that like universities and education systems everywhere those in the "Global South" should focus on both. Values and knowledge are the basis for building character, judgement and civic engagement - elements that are indispensable for a fulfilling, happy and resilient life and for flexibility in career adjustment. This should be supplemented at some stage of the student's progression, and depending on the student's inclination and contextualised interests, with immediate job-specific skills depending on the requirements of the job market. Only job-specific skills would make the graduate dependent on the specific employer or industry, less resilient in the medium- to long-term, and less complete as a person. See relevant COVIDEA initiative for the education of the future: https://www.foggs.org/covidea
Dear Dr. Bosio, my answer is grounded on my 10-years experience as a human resources manager f in one of the most important steel companies in Brazil. Personally, I think both are important, but, currently, there is an urgent need for values and knowledge. Quality of high education really matters. I witnessed that this is the standard backgrounded needed for starting a career in a great corporation. Then, job skills can be provided by the company and workers may do this on their own with greater focus after being employed.
Global South should focus more in building or training learners in job specific skills while inculcating the rights values and knowledge that will make learners behave in acceptable manner to contribute to development within the society where they leave.
Agnieszka Jobst interesting thoughts many thanks - yet if the question is whether knowledge produces skills or could skills produce knowledge where would you locate values? Stay well.
Georgios Kostakos many thanks for your response - you're saying "This should be supplemented at some stage of the student's progression...with immediate job-specific skills" -- at what stage? ps: I enjoyed reading about COVIDEA, keep me posted. Stay well.
Niedja Santos many thanks for sharing your view based on your work experience. What type of values and knowledge would you recommend then? (2-3 examples would help). Stay well.
M. T. Shaibu thank you for your response. What do you mean by "make learners behave in acceptable manner to contribute to development within the society where they leave"? Stay well.
Values in the context of my contribution means rules, principles, standards or culture that guides behaviour. Therefore, building or training learners in job specific skills equally requires inculcating the right values that well make learners behave (play or operate) in acceptable manner while contributing to development within the society where they leave. My understanding is that every society has its laid down rules, standards, principles, culture and it is expected that people
as they acquire job specific skill, they should understand the rules, principles, standards or culture of that society so that as they are utilizing their skills they will operate, play in line with same. For example by carrying out their constitutional obligations including civic responsibilities, environmental responsibilities and social responsibilities that the society values amongst others, amount to behaving in an acceptable manner while contributing to development as stated in my first response.
Emiliano Bosio Emiliano Bosio Glad you found COVIDEA of interest. On your follow-up question, I would think that specific job skill-building should start in parallel to value-, judgement- and general knowledge-building during high school and would gradually become predominant at the end of secondary education and during tertiary education. That does not mean that broader knowledge building should stop for any individual, but formal education would gradually become more focused, while life-long learning in formal and informal settings would continue. This is not unrelated to what happens now in many countries, the problem though being that both general education and skill building need to be redefined in today's digital, climate change and pandemic context and with a view to achieving individual well-being and resilience in a sustainable world.
In Brazil according to UNESCO and FUNDEB students are being taught values through disciplines. An example is Math to determine the regional and cultural differences in the region, Art and folklore to cultivate values such as togetherherness and social acceptance. Literature to tackle the differences in regional accents and etc. However, I think that cultural values and knowledge are not enough and in order to achieve a better developed region job specific should be implemented in high school, because if we look at the number of people that enter University are still very low and this lesves many people without a professional skill right after high school, in
Johnatan Santos many thanks, It seems you are suggesting a mix of values, knowledge and job skills? But what's the difference between knowledge and job skills then? Stay well.
Hello Emiliano! I thought more like sharing the KSAs approach.
Knowledge ( laws, informations)
, Skills ( practice ) , Abilities (learn to apply skills and information). Stay well.
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