I’m concerned about the compatibility of our current educational system with the rapidly changing digital world and the accompanying job market.
Our traditional approach to education, which is still operational, is rooted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries’ industrial-era model that emphasizes conformity and adherence to rules.
These industries needed educated conformists to work in top-down structures, which stifle creativity and innovation—qualities essential in today’s digital economy.
The worst hit is business education, where students are still learning outdated industrial thinking and strategies, without appreciation of the disruptive tsunami that has come with the digital economy—an economy that thrives on unconventional ideas and unconventional thinking.
Who is to blame for continuing to school our young ones in an educational system designed to discourage unconventional thinking qualities?
Or are we saying that we’re yet to acknowledge the mismatch that limits many from becoming successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in digital markets that have forged paths outside traditional conformist education?
In fact, how do we expect educated conformists to have the desire to explore new ideas and challenge the very norms they’re schooled in?
I recall discussing this during my Zoom meeting with the CEO of the MIT Alumni Association, who had a different perspective when she said the obvious, “Basil, you know MIT is still the number one university in the world.” This served as a reminder that no ship’s captain will want to rock the boat.
In short, statements like hers only confirming why these issues can hardly be addressed by today’s so-called leading global universities, was actually what motivated me to establishing the African Institute of Technology (AIT), a research-intensive nonconformist Texas-located university offering completely unconventional university education. I am not unaware of the immense difficulties AIT must face in a world still stuck in the industrial-era education.
But I also know that someone must champion this inevitable transition if we want digital humans to stay relevant in our increasingly shifting artificial intelligence job landscape.
Whether we like it or not, a new educational paradigm that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability must be born.
This means reevaluating how we teach and inspire future generations, empowering them to thrive in the dynamic and unpredictable world of digital capitalism.
