The insatiable quest for PhDs

According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics Education Pays 2020: Career Outlook, PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy, which refers to the immense knowledge a student gains when earning the degree. PhDs, also known as doctorates, are terminal degrees, meaning they are the highest level of degree that you can achieve in certain fields, such as Education, Mathematics, English, Economics, History, Geography and Public Health.

In his articles, Prof. Jairos Kangira of the University of Namibia articulates the process and laid out procedures for the acquisition of a PhD degree, spelling out the necessity and advantages of PhDs holders and professors as creators of knowledge. The quest and thirst for PhD degrees in Namibia are becoming insatiable, and many young people are embracing this race by all means – sometimes through hook and crook. PhDs can be acquired in a number of modes, of which the following could suffice:

Coursework and research: Students have face-to-face sessions, write tests, assignments and examinations either at the end of a semester or a year and gain more knowledge. After coursework, students then embark on a research topic and are allocated supervisors. The duration of the PhD programme depends on particular universities, but in well-administered ones, it can be from three to four years, while in some poorly-run ones, it can take one up to eight years.

Research only: In this case, students start with research without coursework but are entitled to holding tutorial sessions with their supervisors. Students depend more on their own as the lecturer is an absent supervisor, who is only contacted through an appointment when they have queries about their work. Equally, students face problems and may not have someone on the spot to ask when queries arise.

Online PhDs: These modes of degrees are mushrooming as academicians find them easy to acquire. The rate at which they are acquired depends on the commitment of the supervisors and the students. In some quarters, they seem to be questionable, but in others, they are accredited and recognized for jobs. PhDs obtained through hook and crook: Unfortunately, these qualifications carry an element of either plagiarism or being written for by someone else who is paid for the work done. This type or mode of PhDs is taking root in some quarters of this country. The culprits in this scam are some nationals from some neighbouring countries who have to eke a living through this system. What is disturbing is that many political and educational leaders might be aware of this scam, yet find it difficult to curb. This seems to have become a lucrative business and some academicians simply make shortcuts in acquiring these qualifications. What Namibians fail to understand is that this scam is suffocating the education system, to a point where the country will be producing illiterate academicians. This will render a useless and unproductive education system, in which other nationals will finally enslave our children as they cannot perform as expected.

There is nothing wrong in acquiring these papers provided they are obtained honestly and put to good use, which should benefit the people. But despite getting all these papers, the country still is lagging in terms of human resources needed to develop the people. Currently, it is not easy to estimate the number of PhD holders in the country let alone in the regions. According to a recent WhatsApp group report, the Zambezi region, for example, is estimated to have about 42 PhD holders, associate and full professors. Other regions could boast of more than that number. In a country with less than three million people, and one region accounting for that number, that is indeed something to be proud of if those qualifications were obtained through academic grill of both high quality and honesty.

The question being raised by many people in Zambezi is, if the region has such brains, why is it lagging in terms of the passing rate at the grade 12 level? Still more, why does the region seem to be divided along ethnic groups and disorganised in terms of developmental agendas and priorities when other regions are gearing forward at a very fast rate?

The Zambezi brains should put their house in order by using those PhDs and professorships; otherwise, the developmental and national train will not wait for them.

It might be the same scenario in some regions that despite a higher number of PhD holders, little is being siphoned from them to assist and develop the country.

In this process, the degree of disease is developed in a manner that many of these academicians accumulate these papers, yet they cannot use them for the benefit of the people.

It is one of the reasons why there are PhD holders in this country, but the government has to solicit other PhD holders from other countries. It is for the same reason that the unemployment rate is swirling amid these PhD holders as they fail to come together and initiate some academic institutions.

The PhDs-holders clique even fail to employ themselves, yet the urge to acquire them seems to have no end in sight. To see the serious urge to contain them, some elements are more comfortable being honoured with such titles even if they do not understand the meaning thereof. Namibia Qualifications Authority should step in and strictly evaluate some dubious qualifications and close those institutions that are failing on the academic test.

Professor Makala Lilemba