The Curious Case Of ‘The Indian Degree’

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not 

speak out—

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

                                                                                    -Martin Niemöller

Isn’t it a bit telling of people how they generally speak condescendingly about India until unfavourable circumstances demand of them to Google map where the High Commission of India is for a visa?

It is not strange to occasionally come across some murmurs and innuendos relating to qualifications attained from Indian Universities, which one tends to brush off as simpleton.

I,however,recently witnessed in disbelief a speaker at a certain conference openly deride the ‘Indian degree’, as he put it, urging members to be weary of such papers since they’re not ‘standard’; going even to the extent of asking us to disregard them wholesale if we came across such! Most participants could only be wowed by the audacious demonstration of ignorance considering that at least every other person knows someone who studied or studies in India (Emphasis: Person).It’s a pity that education while liberating can not eradicate stigma. And as you know, stigma says more about the speaker than the subject.

That’s why I saw it worthwhile to respond rather than react. I decided to do my humming bird part as a proud graduate of an Indian institution of higher learning,at least in the hope that any other position leader or employer coming across this article might humbly and expediently unlearn and re-learn the greatest challenge of the 21^st century, as the legendary Jim Rohn aptly depicts leadership.

 

John C. Maxwell, the leadership guru,warns that as you inspire, you risk losing your listener for good if you make yourself the subject because people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. My professional experience confirms what studies have shown in the past that there’s no direct relationship between academic performance and industry performance. The former only shows their learnability. That’s why the employer will root for the candidate with additional abilities like team-playing, communication, problem-solving skills as well as demonstrable relevant working experience.

One would go further and appraise a candidate based on their readability. A typical symptom of closed-minded individuals in whichever form of leadership is their inability to empathise.Such people rarely see or don’t see the need to see the big picture-the world as a globe, half of it bright at any one time. They rarely work towards personal development and might have never read a single book since throwing their hats in the sky as graduands.Thus their mindset is what it was years back.

Rigidity,for instance, while appraising a candidate for a position based on what they were tested on 10-20 years ago would be making decisions based on too little information. Again, there’s the revealing study on the suitability of  emphasizing meta-cognition over cognition skills(read rote learning) when it comes to assessment of candidates’ understanding, synthesis as well as application of knowledge, hopefully being dealt with comprehensively by those currently reviewing our curriculum.EQ is also a more accurate assessment than IQ while evaluating staff,behavioural scientists have proven.

So,when a person throws such careless blanket generalisations that such and such qualification is bogus with wanton recklessness, they need to be stopped in their tracks before they poison stakeholders’ minds and prejudice the already scarce employment opportunities for the honest, hardworking, innocent Kenyans.

 

India as an education destination

Since independence, Kenya has progressively partnered with India in the education sector through training and equipping the workforce by offering linkages for admissions to Indian universities through the Ministry of Education at Jogoo House as well as in short courses for those already in employment . The Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development has always ensured successful placement of qualified students to their over 700 institutions of higher learning spread across the country based on their fields of choice as well as qualification. Before leaving, The High Commission of India also holds orientation seminars for the prospective students to minimize the impact of culture shock in a country that has managed to modernize incredibly fast without losing her identity.

Jogoo House in conjunction with The Kenyan High Commission in New Delhi offers vital support to students who are thousands of miles away from home and in most cases depend on their family for upkeep by facilitating government bursaries for those eligible as well as organizing for remote examination centers for professional bodies like KASNEB among other services.

Thankfully, upon successful completion of their studies, Kenyan professional bodies like LSK, ICPAK admit the graduates who meet their criteria for membership and also offer exemptions for certain subjects in their professional courses.

By virtue of being privileged to get exposure abroad and passing their respective courses after so much blood, sweat and tears, the graduate from an Indian university rarely gets a pat on the back but instead tends to be vilified for no fault of his or her own. Aside from what’s in the curriculum, it’s still s paradox to most of us why our stay there is not considered as experience-calling a foreign land your home, using their currency, drinking their water(not literally),celebrating their holidays,culture,solidarity during calamities (e.g. the 2004 tsunami, earthquakes),politics, abiding by their laws,rumours of war,feats,cricket,landlord..Losing friends and family. But that’s a story for another day.

 

How about the strong Kenya African Students Association (K.A.S.A) that was quite formidable as compared to other diaspora students’ associations- though passes into oblivion upon one's return home; the camaraderie when you met another African regardless of where they came from in the continent, our own publications, magazines, debate clubs, plays, parties, rigorous dating scene (race), sports, musicians and other social-cultural factors that brought us together and helped us cope with the usual travails and sometimes paralysing homesick.

All these need to be put into perspective.

 

Celebrate the Alumni

During the post-WW II era, Martin Niemöller became very vocal in admonishing the culture of silence amongst people when injustices are being committed as exemplified by the contemporary German intellectuals’ cowardice when the Nazis rose to power. This is a text book case that bad things happen when good people do nothing.

 

The kind of profiling of graduates from Indian universities witnessed today can only be equated to tribalism, or even worse apartheid. It is outright discrimination that is in contravention of our Human Rights as espoused by The Constitution of Kenya 2010. A few bad apples are there even in Ivy League universities,leave alone our local ones. Therefore, that alone should never disadvantage the majority of the hard-working and honest graduates.

         

Tales of the Indiawallah are legendary and I don’t need to repeat them here; but returning home in one piece after successfully completing your studies is sheer character.

Other factors held constant, the graduate from any Indian university is well-adjusted, open-minded and is conditioned to have a forward-looking holistic outlook on issues. This might be as a result of being hardened by the long-stays away from home and family, mostly fending for self, extreme climatic conditions as well as other negative social-cultural factors like tasting (sic) a bit of racism. Thus,their high degree of black-consciousness and African pride clearly lacking in most Kenyan youth as evidenced by our elusive lack national character is not serendipitous at all.

 

Reality check

Some of the alumni hold very influential positions in government, private sector, academia, in practice, as entrepreneurs, and also in the political arena -God forbid should someone ask where they went to school! They have done almost nothing for their associations which is the best way to give back and fortify them as a worthy entity. This is where our local universities have an edge over us.

Each one of us is who we are because at some point, someone believed in our ability. That’s why mentorship cannot be overemphasized when it comes to fresh graduates. Some alumni have gone as far as trying to sanitise their qualifications with unrelated ones here at home and elsewhere just to disassociate themselves,instead of sanitising the minds of the few ignorami.

Whether it’s by sheer happenstance or an inferiority complex developed over the years as a result of being bombarded with reckless blanket falsehoods as pertains to their qualifications, they have done a huge disservice to subsequent graduates and those currently in the great land of Nehru and Gandhi and Tagore and Tendulkar and Bachhan,awaiting  kujenga nchi when they return home. But all is not lost. It is never too late to be what you might have been. It is my humble submission,therefore,that now is the time to have an honest national conversation and if need be, affirmative action to follow suit.

Not that unemployment is unique to the graduates of Indian universities, but too many qualified and experienced graduates cannot get decent employment opportunities, and for those that do, there appears to be a glass ceiling as to how far they can rise on the corporate ladder. Entrepreneurship often is the fall-back plan for most with its attendant challenges for the beginners. Quite a good number have become successful in the process and are employers , which is encouraging. But realistically,not everyone is business savvy.In any case,no one finishes college with the sole goal of being self-employed. The likes of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had to drop out in order to pursue their ambitions since it appeared to be a waste of their time.

Part of the reason why we’re performing below our potential is due to our lack of solidarity. 'Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter’ law has been perfectly used against us over the years by majority of the decision-makers who ensure that they only lend an ear to familiarity-former school mates,classmates,village mates etc.(Be advised,HR practitioners).

Alone you’re a voice. Together we can be a force. Let us recognise each other and form associations within professional memberships or other formal organisations and lobby for our own interests - from the lowest office to the highest. Many institutions in history have had to demand respect when it was not forthcoming. A classic example in our country is ICPAK.It was not always the globally recognised accounting membership body it now is, with employers then considering the CPA qualification as inferior to ACCA and others. Someone had to do something about it.These are indeed our shujaas.

It’s our turn. You haven’t really lived until you’ve done something for someone who can’t repay you, goes the wisdom. We’ve been self-centred for too long.Let’s do something for the present and future graduates, and wipe the tears of their mothers and fathers who have made enormous sacrifices for them to get quality education but are yet to see the fruits of their labour.

Celebrate your hard-won qualification without apologies. Wear your blessings well,as Joel Osteen puts it. Otherwise if you continue maintaining solitude, they’ll personally come for you too.

Joined in the hip

The Asian Community in Kenya also needs to wake up and realise that we’re practically sailing in the same boat in this artificial storm of trying to find acceptability in the only place we call home. We are an asset even though most of you assume that we know too much; we value your best side -The cohesiveness, patriotism and work ethic. The ever forward-looking Shree Manu Chandaria knows for instance that Mabati will not forever be in vogue years to come as people continue to use alternative material for housing, and that is why one of his numerous organisations is venturing into low-cost housing for the mwananchi, a win-win situation. Let the example he has set in promoting innovation even in our local institutions be picked up by other successful Kenyans of Asian extraction, but this time focus on people who have been to your motherland –your villages.

Some of us are literally Indian having lived there for decades. It’s also important to note that history has a way of repeating itself especially if we take nothing from it.You have a confidant in us. Let’s see more collaboration and partnerships going forward. You won’t be alone when they come for you.

The High Commission of India should also collaborate with the various Alumni associations in the country in order to facilitate and lobby for her nation’s education system which is under attack from some closed-minded individuals. How else are people going to study there if when they come back a less-read haughty boss dismisses their qualification as inferior? It was Winston Churchill who said that a lie will travel half the globe before the truth gets to wear its pants. Thankfully, repeating a lie many times does not make it the truth.

Kudos are in order to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for the successful hosting of the India-Africa Forum Summit recently held in New Delhi. It was definitely an opportune moment for the sub-continent to flex her muscles with other global powers as an economic giant that can host and facilitate part of the vision of the richest continent in the world; the last frontier-Africa!

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s role in leading the Kenyan team in signing the various bilateral agreements especially those pertaining to technology transfer was in the right direction, especially if they materialise sooner. The costly mass exodus for medical treatment of complex illnesses can be managed locally if our doctors are equipped with the relevant technical knowhow as well as skills shared by the good-natured Indian doctors.

In addition to that,ITEC trainings and other capacity building courses done via your embassies worldwide should be tailored in such a way that graduates from your universities benefit as trainees or facilitators, as the case may be.

A follow up on the progress of the thousands of graduates to whom you issued visas might give a more accurate assessment on the value exchange of the entire process. Kenya might be the loser here as you continue to collect visa fees and foreign exchange from her people. A casual glance will tell you that once very promising, energetic graduates are wasting away in depression and alcohol-abuse due to re-entry shock and inability to ‘fit in’ as it were.

Keep your house in order before someone comes for you too.

The Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Education should step in to avert this unconstitutional stereotyping of its properly-sanctioned education destination. The policy makers who certify these courses as meeting local market needs as well as CUE should come out defend their mandate. Otherwise it will just be a matter of time before they come for you too.

In conclusion, an objective appraisal of an individual’s ability should be devoid of any parochial (as Nelson Mandela aptly depicts ushamba), and preconceived conclusions. Focus should be on his or her value proposition and not their gender, tribe, race, religion, or why they had to board a plane and not study here in Kenya.