AMECEA: ‘The Purpose of Education is beyond Prospects for a better Job and Good Life’ says CUEA Vice Chancellor
Vice Chancellor of Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) Prof Justus Mbae has underscored the importance of holistic education which he said is important to the holistic development of a person because the purpose of education is beyond the prospects of getting a better job and living a good life.
“Increasingly what is happening now is that a lot of people are beginning to equate education with its utilitarian purpose, which is to get a job. That is perfectly valid, but if that is the only purpose of education then clearly we have missed the roots and the Catholic University must correct that perception because education is much more important and for very good reason,” Prof Mbae said while addressing the participants during the inauguration of AMECEA API Gaba Campus.
He explained that, education is supposed to provide, shape and develop the mind of the individual so that he/she can lead and distinguish between what is right and what is wrong adding that, it is supposed to give us values and principles upon which we can lead significant life; this he said is the first purpose of education because it is geared toward the individual learner.
Prof Mbae explained that, at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa CUEA, they continue to press and emphasize that it is not enough to give an intellectual education to feed the mind but equally important to develop the individual.
“Education is supposed to make individuals more human, that is why, no matter how many degrees an individual has if he/she is corrupt, immoral, or a criminal, we cannot recognize him/her as an educated person; we know that the person has read books but he/she missed out on education. Therefore, for us as a Catholic university we really must emphasize that the education we continue to give here must be education that not only prepares us for the workforce out there, not only prepare us to get employment and have comfortable life but that it gives us the humanity and shapes us to what the Creator wanted for us so this education develops that which we are supposed to be.”
Prof Mbae pointed out that in these days one just need to look around and realize that very few people are interested in the truth.“We are hearing from classrooms, from the media, sometimes even from the pulpit things that we really cannot believe because there is certainly no respect for the truth,” he said adding that everyone is talking about fake news, and that what weget a lot of times is usually half-truth, sometimes outright lies and everything that is subjective and there is no respect for objectivity.
He said that the CUEA whose Motto is “Consecrate them in Truth”, is striving to help people think rationally and critically by examining things and not just accepting what is said or what they read or what they hear. “If education does not do this in the university then obviously we are not helping those whom we are releasing to the society. So as a university we have to remain steadfast and do even more to help our learners really dedicate themselves, become truthful men and women and want to live by the truth.”
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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
