By Dr. Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
Reading the criticism of university education raises a bigger question for me: how carefully are we choosing universities and colleges for our children?
We look at rankings, impressive buildings, advertisements and graduation photographs. We ask about fees, scholarships and entry requirements.
But are we asking the question that matters most?
What will our children actually be able to do with what they have been taught?
With artificial intelligence opening new possibilities, that question deserves serious attention. We should expect education to develop knowledge, judgment and the ability to apply both when circumstances change.
A certificate should represent that development. It cannot substitute for it.
The frustration behind criticism of academics is understandable. When teaching becomes recycled slides, memorised answers and predictable examinations, students can pass without learning how to handle an unfamiliar problem.
However, dismissing every university or lecturer would be unfair. There are committed educators who challenge students, maintain demanding standards and connect learning with practical work.
The question is how we make that quality an expectation across institutions rather than something parents must hope to discover.
Has teaching evolved—or have we simply put the old lecture on a newer screen?
Uploading notes does not automatically improve education. Neither does introducing an AI module while leaving every other teaching and assessment method untouched.
Imagine a business student asked to write a marketing plan. They describe the audience, suggest social media promotions and submit a polished document.
Now imagine asking that student to speak to potential customers, test an offer, work within a budget and explain why the response differed from their prediction.
Both exercises involve knowledge. The second also demands listening, judgment, accountability and adaptation.
We need more learning that connects these elements.
Theory matters because it helps us understand patterns, test assumptions and explain outcomes. Practical work matters because it exposes the gaps in our understanding. Each should strengthen the other.
AI makes the difference between producing an answer and understanding it harder to ignore.
A student can use AI to draft an essay, suggest code or organise a business proposal. A polished submission alone therefore tells a lecturer too little about the student’s competence.
Can the student explain the reasoning? Verify the evidence? Recognise a false claim? Adapt the work when a condition changes?
Could they defend their decisions without reading from the generated answer?
UNESCO’s guidance on generative AI in education calls for an approach centred on human agency and the development of human capacity. That should shape how institutions introduce these tools: students must remain responsible for their learning and decisions. UNESCO
We should teach students to use AI purposefully, disclose its contribution where required, protect confidential information and check its output.
We must also give them opportunities to demonstrate what they can do independently. Foundational knowledge is what allows a person to recognise when a convincing answer is wrong.
A student who can operate a tool but cannot judge its output is still vulnerable.
The people teaching must keep learning too.
It is reasonable to expect lecturers to demonstrate current competence in the subjects they teach.
For an applied technology course, that could mean building and explaining a functioning system, testing it with users and diagnosing failures. For a business course, it could mean analysing an actual operating problem and defending a workable response.
The assessment should fit the discipline. Fundamental research, public service and theoretical work can have substantial value without becoming commercial products. We should not demand that every academic become an entrepreneur.
But we can demand credible evidence that their knowledge is current, their methods are effective and their students are learning.
Titles and years of service should carry responsibility.
Universities must support this through professional development, industry attachments, research opportunities and manageable teaching workloads. Accountability needs resources as well as expectations.
And students must be able to question an argument respectfully without fearing punishment for disagreeing.
How do we develop independent thinkers if we reward only the answer the lecturer wanted to hear?
Preparing people for work should include preparing them to create value.
Formal employment remains a valid ambition. So do professional practice, research, public service and skilled technical work.
But education should also help students understand how their abilities might generate income through projects, consulting, freelancing or a business.
That means asking practical questions.
Who needs this service? What problem does it solve? What would someone pay? What does delivery cost? How will you find customers, manage payment and keep your promises?
A student who understands revenue but ignores costs has more to learn. So does a talented freelancer who cannot scope a project or communicate with a dissatisfied client.
Business thinking should include financial discipline, ethical selling, negotiation and responsibility. It should move beyond competitions where the strongest presentation wins but nobody tests whether the idea works.
At the same time, we must avoid romanticising side hustles. Independent income can be uncertain. Education should help students evaluate risks and choices, including when employment offers the better foundation.
The goal is greater capability and choice.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies analytical thinking as a leading employer priority, while AI and big data, technological literacy, creative thinking and adaptability feature prominently in its skills outlook. These are employer survey findings, rather than guarantees about any individual’s future. They nevertheless reinforce a useful point: technical ability and human judgment need to develop together. World Economic Forum
Some of the most valuable learning happens beyond the lecture hall.
I have seen graduates who communicate confidently, take initiative and put ideas into practice. I have also seen graduates struggle when a task comes without a textbook answer.
Examination results alone cannot explain those differences.
Look at the opportunities students receive through clubs, sports, competitions, community work and internships.
Organising an event means coordinating people, handling a budget and responding when something fails. Community work can require listening to needs that differ from one’s assumptions. A demanding internship can reveal how decisions affect colleagues and customers.
These experiences deserve proper support and reflection. Simply participating is not enough; students should understand what they learned and how they would improve.
Universities should also make such opportunities accessible to students who work, commute or have caring responsibilities. Practical development should not depend on having spare money and unlimited time.
Knowledge sharing must become part of the learning culture.
Let students demonstrate projects, critique one another’s reasoning and explain failures. Invite practitioners to discuss decisions and consequences, including what went wrong.
Bring different disciplines together. A technology project may need someone who understands users, someone who can build the system and someone who can evaluate its costs and social effects.
Practitioners can contribute experience, while academics contribute research, methods and deeper explanation. Students benefit when those perspectives meet and challenge each other.
An industry partnership should be judged by the learning it enables. A photograph and a signed agreement tell parents very little.
Parents and students need to investigate before investing.
Ask to see recent student work. Speak to graduates from the actual programme under consideration. Examine who teaches it and how assessments work.
Find out what students do during internships, how supervision operates and whether they receive useful feedback.
Ask how AI is used, how independent understanding is checked and how the curriculum is reviewed.
Consider the total cost, the intended career and the alternatives, including technical and vocational education, apprenticeships and professional qualifications.
University can be a valuable investment. It should be a considered choice rather than an automatic purchase of prestige.
Students have responsibilities too. They must read beyond notes, practise, ask questions, seek feedback and take ownership of their development.
Even an excellent lecturer cannot do the learning for them.
My concern is whether the graduate leaves with deeper understanding, useful skills, sound judgment and the confidence to continue learning.
AI gives us another reason to examine that standard urgently.
Students give institutions years of their lives. Families commit hard-earned savings. Show them what that investment develops.
Let the certificate stand for something students can explain, demonstrate and build upon.
Plan + Actions = Results.
Article by Dr. Amarjeet Singh @ AJ - a personal opinion based on working with current set of engagement in the workforce and also looking at the education readyness or skills needs vs market needs.
Amarjeet Singh Sran (amarjeetsinghsran5@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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