Too many Doctors and Masters of Ginnalship

[MdmeX]

Too many Doctors and Masters of Ginnalship

Published: Wednesday | December 19, 2012 28 Comments


George Davis





George Davis, Contributor

History traces the PhD and the master's degree to as early as the 12th century. The first doctorate was granted by the University of Paris, while the first master's originated from the University of Bologna. Both those institutions, along with Oxford, are the original three European universities.
The PhD really gained currency in the 19th century through the Humboldt University in Germany, with several scholars from the United States journeying to Deutschland to attain that level of recognition in their chosen fields.

Originally, the master's degree communicated a message that the holder was a learned man. Both academic marks suggested that the holder was able to think at a higher level and translate that thinking into practicable outcomes. Given the current state of affairs of Jamaica, and the plethora of PhD and master's degree holders in positions of authority, one really has to question the value and utility of these academic high watermarks.

Why do the majority of our businesses struggle with innovation, productivity and growth when so many are staffed at the management levels by people with the highest level of academic accomplishment available? How can so many persons who are either PhD or master's holders fail to effectively tie down the basic management functions of planning, coordination and control?
By how much should the attainment of advanced degrees enhance a person's ability to excel in their jobs? Does attainment of an advanced degree give an employee an edge over a colleague who receives additional training or exposure on the job? And, if yes, how large should that edge be?

Has Jamaica benefitted
These are questions which must be confronted as we evaluate the benefit the country has derived from its mammoth spend on education since 1962.
For a country with so many persons insisting they be referred to as Dr This or That, and so many other persons with master's degrees, Jamaica is really in a bind. Which is why, for the country's sake, the 'I-am-a-Doctor/advanced-degree-holder,-therefore-I-know' attitude must be discouraged.

How many of these people do we come across daily and wonder about the authenticity of their credentials? How many of these people do we see installed as managers of companies, departments or ministries of government who lack the mental ability required for such posts? How many of these persons expect even Massa God to cede them respect because of the alphabet behind their names?

The questions are endless.

Even worse than the questions is the endless frustration of having to deal with these paper leaders who are nothing more than glorified dunces. Think about your own organisation and ask yourself how many persons with the title 'Dr' would you think it more apposite to refer to as 'Ducta'?

The real workhorse
Jamaica's progress is being retarded by an army of charlatans. Too many organisations are guilty of sidelining good, capable employees from deserved promotions, in place of Mrs So and So who gets the position because she has a master's degree in a related field or who's finishing up a PhD. It then turns out that the 'unqualified' employee is the real workhorse, churning out results and solving problems, while the big-degree dunce bides time like flotsam in the sea.

In this country, there's an official fixation with attaining advanced degrees, because people realise it's a chance for them to 'ginnal' their way through their career. They can now masquerade as authorities in specific fields and get to impose on their colleagues that they always must be referred to as 'Dr'.

Let me extend kudos to those professionals who've earned their qualifications and are adding value to their jobs and organisations. May you all endure.
But I pray the Lord will purge us of those malingerers who've installed themselves into vital areas of this country while bringing the concept of higher education into disrepute. May you have no place to hide, and may those of your colleagues who've found you out have the gumption to call you out.

May you be forced to break up your fallow ground as Doctor and Master of Ginnalship.

Selah.

George Davis is a journalist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and george.s.davis@hotmail.com.

[HL]

I could have written this topic...just in a more matter-of-fact way though.

I have been asking this same question for avery long time.

Here's one example of a post i made on the subject.
HL vbmenu_register("postmenu_392783", true);
Reggae Ambassador
Join Date: Jul 1996
Posts: 7,013



QUOTE: "The other thing about their ministers, the vast majority are very educated, many with advanced degrees from Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge, not to mention the very highly rated Nanyang Technological University in Singapore itself. So, many are experts in their field, not only privately, but as ministers".


Seem to me every other minister in Jamaica is called Doctor this and Doctor that. (You know them well). Jamaica seems to be super-saturated with PhD's in lots of leadership positiions.

Why the continued backwardness and poor decision making skills?

X-plain.

Thanks in advance

[HL]

here's another example:

SIDEBAR:

Seems like Jamaica has more PhD's per capita when compared to all the countries of the world.

These PhD's appear to have no problem in getting elected...

Jamaicans are in love with PhD's. They are awed by the "Doctor" connotation.

The irony is: I find it difficult to understand a country having so many bright individuals (PhD's) in leadership...with an equal level of backwardness (in some areas).

Take the government leader of finance for example........................................... ................................
BTW: (Please let me know if you need more examples)

[Jawge]

HL you mentioned something of importance a while back. I just didn't have time to address it. You asked about the publishing by the faculties of tertiary
institutions in Ja. You asked about publishing in reputable journals.

In this info age which is really pushed by research and publication; I'm also surprised that Ja isn't involved. This is the only way true innovation will evolve from the island.

The capital and resources needed isn't that much. Let's take number theory for example (which is critical when applied to data security). Why isn't research done here? How much does it cost to really do research here. Attending science fairs and competing is an illusion. These fairs only shows who has aptitude.

[Assasin]

What research is done in Jamaica? Mi brethren just a tell me the problem he has doing research. Everybody already know the answer or want to protect their political sides so the data is bias or do not reflect the necessary outcome.

He also said he did a research on why people build concrete wall. The primary purpose was for security. When he looked at security from private wall, it acutally is more dangerous than a chain linked fence as one the criminal comes behind the seurity wall, nobody can see anything that is happening and that is more dangerous and lesss protective than wall, but most Jamaicans use wall and not knowing this.

That is how we operate in Ja. And we have PHDs to defend anything and try to defend anything in Jamaica.

[Jawge]

Nice; I was thinking along the lines of research and its application towards the info age.

[Islandman]

That happens with research everywhere to some degree though. You will hardly see a research publication sponsored by an industry which shows the industry in a negative light.

That is where peer review comes into play. Eventually one position becomes the dominant and accepted one.

[Assasin]

We simple don't like to research is what I am saying.

[Islandman]

We don't even like simple facts much less new research.

Critical thinking is lacking in general. Research is good but with a population who cannot analyze it the effectiveness is limited.

That's one of the reasons I have decided to put my focus on STEM education with the youths. Even if they choose another career path the kind of thinking it encourages is still useful.

[Jawge]

It seems we are all on the same page. Small wonder Ja is lagging in the global village. We are left back to the time when the Greeks would sit and argue about how many teeth in a horse's mouth (just an example) instead of getting up and counting them.

[Assasin]

yeah to an extent, but you have to try to get the interviewee to give their opinion. There are ways you can get better answers, way is to make sure the interviewer is not bias and interviewee must be comfortable, not under undue pressure.

[HL]

HL you mentioned something of importance a while back. I just didn't have time to address it. You asked about the publishing by the faculties of tertiary
institutions in Ja. You asked about publishing in reputable journals.

In this info age which is really pushed by research and publication; I'm also surprised that Ja isn't involved. This is the only way true innovation will evolve from the island.

The capital and resources needed isn't that much. Let's take number theory for example (which is critical when applied to data security). Why isn't research done here? How much does it cost to really do research here. Attending science fairs and competing is an illusion. These fairs only shows who has aptitude.

King Jawge, I read recently that St. Elizabeth produces 80% of Jamaicas' food supply. I doubt that this is accurate:

But the essence of the statement led me to think that the same old 'primative' methods of food cultivation--that include heavy mulching by growing grass for mulch on arable lands...is still the cultural practice.

It appears that there are no research to improve methods of crop cultivation in St. Elizabeth (and other areas).

I mentioned too, that the levels of deforestation in the Cockpit Country is unsustainable. That the possibility of land and/or mud-slides is not impossible due to this deforestation. That the solution lies in research to replace the logs for growing yam--with a synthethic material ...is one solution.

The Jamaican budget must include research. It is not a cost...it is an investment.

The beginning thread is on point. Jamaica seems to think that Dr. "This" and Dr. "That" is an indication of progressiveness. I beg to differ.

[Islandman]

I have a young engineer bredren who hails from the Cockpit who is passionate about the environment in the area and would be interested in that kind of thing. His main area of interest has been renewables but if you have any good info on that yam growing thing let me know.

You should check his website out. I have been working with him on a few projects recently, very dynamic and progressive young man.

http://www.kimroybailey.com/2012/11/smilejamaica.html

[Don1]

wid all di big yappin' certain people ave yuh fi aks dem fi duh sitten fi actively support Kimroy foundation werk

Den yuh agguh si argument change quickquick

But mebbe dem cyan "like" im pon FB

[Reggaedoc]

Too many

What research is done in Jamaica? Mi brethren just a tell me the problem he has doing research. Everybody already know the answer or want to protect their political sides so the data is bias or do not reflect the necessary outcome.

He also said he did a research on why people build concrete wall. The primary purpose was for security. When he looked at security from private wall, it acutally is more dangerous than a chain linked fence as one the criminal comes behind the seurity wall, nobody can see anything that is happening and that is more dangerous and lesss protective than wall, but most Jamaicans use wall and not knowing this.

That is how we operate in Ja. And we have PHDs to defend anything and try to defend anything in Jamaica.

That's right Sass. For a country with so many higher degreed persons, I often wonder why we remain a society of followers. The laziness of Jamaican entrepreneurs and so-called academics is nauseating. Once again, I'll say this, the so-called Jamaican investor is simply a haberdasher /glorified higgler, and because of this they do not do or sponsor the minimal of research. How is Rainforset Seafood different from the ordinary fish monger, when it wouldn't even think about sponsoring research in sustainable fisheries management in Jamaica. They are depending on the government to to this type of research, which is fine, but when Government funds are limited, the private sector needs to step in and offer research grants. I guarantee you that if you go to Tastee patties or juci patties and ask the owners or managers, what is the ideal temp for serving patties in Jamaica based on taste tests, or what is the ideal heat range for patties in Jamaica, in terms of scofield units compared to that of the
taste buds of the American or UK citizen, they could not give you a sensible
answer, yet they would like to develop an international presence, which would
be ideal for national development in terms of foreign exchange earnings. Go to
McDonalds or Burger king's headquarters and any middle management person
could provide you a list of that I formation for all the countries where they
operate. Yet there are people in Jamaica with advanced degrees in nutrition. As
long as haberdashers can make some money, and have the population eating
out of their hands, and proclaiming how rich they are, they are comfortable. As
long as people with the advance degrees can get a "branding" job they are
comfortable. These jobs don't involve much thinking or innovation beyond how
high on the supermarket shelf should they place their products. Pure Laziness and backwardness. The higher degrees in Jamaica seem to be awarded to mostly dunces, as the article points out.