Interesting article by Dr Kanyinga..

[RV Pundit]

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http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Days-when-education-was-a-status-symbol-long-gone/-/440808/2886860/-/dy64ie/-/index.html

[Empedocles]

Sad. Really really sad.

A few months ago, I witnessed Sonko being treated as a hero in Buru by hundreds of youth clamoring to get as close as they could to him (actually, close to his wallet). Money is king. Nothing else matters.

Whatever morals we had as a society have flown out the window, I was actually ashamed when Oprah remembered Wangari Mathai's anniversary while in her own country, nobody gave a hoot.. Nada. It's like she never existed yet we name our main streets after murderers, thieves, etc. and honour them a fallen "heros".

[Omollo]

http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Days-when-education-was-a-status-symbol-long-gone/-/440808/2886860/-/dy64ie/-/index.html

I have no idea when and where the rain starting beating us. My employee called me a few weeks ago and narrated how my neighbor had started putting up one-room houses which were immediately snapped by prostitutes and manambas. He started fending off burglaries and one time all the security light bulbs just vanished. When he took up the matter with the owner of the shanty, he was told the days of masomo (crude reference to me) are over. It's time for "maendeleo".

Another fella I taught briefly when I left college is a chang'aa wholesaler. He makes sure he buys every car I rent when I go to Kenya. I once used the organization's FORD Expedition (forced on us by a Donor) and no sooner had I left than he surfaced at the gates and made an offer. He eventually imported his own and left the plastic covers on for a long time.

The common theme with these guys is to keep saying that "Education does not matter".

[Georgesoros]

it reminds me of the NBA guys. Some of them stopped education for good paying NBA jobs. Then the NBA game was over. Big debts, no education, back to severe poverty at 50. The problem is Uhuru seems to support this hullabaloo. He has stopped investing in education at the expense of the country. Good teachers have escaped the system and are now working in the private schools. most of The ones left behind dont have any supervision and dont care.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

To be fair, people should earn income according to what they produce rather than what degree they have.  If their production is improved by the degree, then it will be reflected.  The issue is not that lowly educated folks are making money.  But rather that there is little incentive for an honest day's work when short-cuts are rewarded.

[Georgesoros]

Reminds me of George Bush's economy - built on sand. The guy had no policy except (tax cuts), and it soon came crushing taking Lehman Brothers with it. Same thing happened in Ireland. Everyone thought prices will never ever come down. Investors pulled the rug and everything collapsed.

To be fair, people should earn income according to what they produce rather than what degree they have.  If their production is improved by the degree, then it will be reflected.  The issue is not that lowly educated folks are making money.  But rather that there is little incentive for an honest day's work when short-cuts are rewarded.

[Georgesoros]

Reminds me of George Bush's economy - built on sand. The guy had no policy except (tax cuts), and it soon came crushing taking Lehman Brothers with it. Same thing happened in Ireland. Everyone thought prices will never ever come down. Investors pulled the rug and everything collapsed.
Am not against quick money but when everyone does it, theres consequences.

To be fair, people should earn income according to what they produce rather than what degree they have.  If their production is improved by the degree, then it will be reflected.  The issue is not that lowly educated folks are making money.  But rather that there is little incentive for an honest day's work when short-cuts are rewarded.

[gout]

has something to do with values systems. Each generation has its values. Before colonialisation skills were prized -iron smithing, cooking, herbalists, hunting, raiding/rustling, bush clearing- a really productive artisan class existed and thrived. Come missionaries and settlers with western education embraced by weak and lazy who couldn't do the tiresome/risky work which required skills. This educated group thrives and artisan class dies, they value education (1920-1990). With IMF, Pattni inflation in 90s the changes are well captured in the article- a class 6 dropout hawker/makanga starts making more than a teacher/nurse. The generation born by the hawkers/makangas are now grown ups talking about hustles and deals. A generation ready to do everything dirty and clean to make money as the educated have some values, lines they can't cross.

But still we have million kids in school - education still one of the best bets in poor countries. There can only be countable loud Zuckbergs, Gates, Sonko, Karume among 7 billion people.