Half true

Understandably, there is a lot of emphasis in pedagogical discourse these days on the importance of vocational, technical and technological education.

We hear this from officials and educators with respect to both school and university education.

The argument is that most of our education is “academic” and at times even exaggeratedly theoretical, and that society is in need of professionals who have vocational, technical and technological skills who could fill much-needed job vacancies in the market.

Such argument is largely correct. 

There needs to be a balance between academic education and the more applied and technical. Society’s needs are varied, and education is supposed to cater to diverse needs.

The migration away from vocational and technical education has several negative consequences that we have been feeling for some time: surplus of graduates in many disciplines, unemployment, importation of foreign labour to fill jobs that Jordanian shy away from, slackening of the economy, etc.

This is all fine. What is not fine, when it comes to higher education in particular, is: the overemphasis on technical and technological education without reliable studies to substantiate such emphasis; and, as a consequence, the negative views that have started to mount with respect to the humanities disciplines and liberal arts education in general.

One enthusiastic “expert” on a TV programme emphatically asked the other day: “What need is there for the disciplines of history, the discipline of philosophy, etc?”

Such views are not only counterproductive, but also erroneous and damaging.

For one thing, emphasis on applied and technical education does not have to be in lieu or at the expense of the much needed education that comes from the humanities and social sciences.

We do not have, like many in our society, to always think dualistically-either or!

Technical and applied education is important, but humanities and social sciences are equally important. 

This is not the platform to talk about why humanities and social sciences are so vital for our society. And, by the way, there is something serious that should not be neglected called “societal” needs.

One thing I would like to stress, however, using the same benchmark and logic that the advocates of technical and applied education use: If the value of any discipline is based on its contribution to the employability of students and to catering to the needs of the market, humanities and social sciences play a key role here.

There are so many studies that pinpoint the precise contribution of these disciplines in this regard. So many essential skills required in the market and the workplace can best be served by humanities and social sciences: communication skills, close-reading skills, interpretation, analytical, cultural, aesthetic, etc.

Emphasis on technical and applied education is half-true. The other half of the truth should be emphasis on humanities and social sciences.

For, just as our society is losing so much because of neglect of applied and technical education, it is — and equally so — losing so much because of neglect and negative views towards humanities and social sciences.