We live in a time when enhanced
attention is being paid to the purpose and value of education itself. The prevailing
wisdom suggests that education is relevant as long as it leads to career-ready
degrees in the fields of Applied Science, Technology or Business. With a
sluggish job market, it would seem that aspirants with degrees in a narrow specialized
field are best positioned to get hired. In this age of the internet economy,
where high valuations are making billionaires of twenty and thirty year olds,
it is no surprise that technology and business courses continue to be the most
in demand.
This may raise questions about
the future prospects for a liberal education, whose essence is composed of a distinctive
blend of the Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts, as these, the prevailing
wisdom goes, do not lead to career-ready degrees. However, it is also well
known that the skill-sets in demand today may become obsolete in the future,
and it is difficult to predict areas where the future jobs will be. Hence, the
incontrovertible conclusion that can be drawn is that a narrow specialized
focus may serve the present but may become inadequate for the demands of
tomorrow.
In contrast, a liberal-arts
education prepares a person for success in life. It recognizes the importance
of possessing the ability to think flexibly and creatively coupled with broad,
deep knowledge and skills, which are essential to manage the problems of today
and tomorrow. It enables the students to
not only study the sciences-such as biology, physics, mathematics-and social
sciences-including economics, political science, and psychology, but also take
courses across a multitude of business subjects. Students can specialize in multi-disciplinary
areas, such as Environmental Studies, and Literary and Cultural studies,
International Studies, Public Policy, but also in the traditional ones too.
Liberal education provides the students the opportunity to sample different
areas to seek an interest for specialization while progressing toward a degree.
The primary goal of this framework is to educate the whole person, whereupon
they can draw from diverse skill sets to address the challenges of the modern
world, and leverage the opportunities to pursue a successful and fulfilling
career. While at the same time, be more
informed and engaged citizens of the world.