MISUSE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

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MISUSE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Journal Title: The EUrASEANs: journal on global socio-economic dynamics - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 4

Abstract

Introduction Education grooms an individual at all stages of life. This study basically focuses on the factors that how people despite of attaining higher education fail to work morally and ethically at their workplaces; institutes not fostering the right practices of higher education, which results on the society as a whole. The greater outlook of the society at the moment is that no matter if that person is designated at high position or low position, they misuse their power of education, their seat and demoralize and try to destabilize the system. Higher Education and Education paves the way for a society with strong and positive environment but nowadays, the society is filled with negativity and mal-use and operations executed by highly educated individuals. This totally damages the image of a highly qualified person and as a whole is damaging the society day by day. Hence, we studied the mal – use of higher education at higher education student and professor level that creates a unpleasant society. The study focuses that whether there has been a negative use of Higher Education by institutions, its teachers/professors, students and professionals (completed with higher education degree(s)). How some professors misuse their higher educational background and delve into unethical activities, which impacts students as well. Other factors include predatory gains, unsatisfied with current jobs, egotistical nature, underestimating others, not listening to their elders and negative impact on our moral and ethical values. Literature review There is ample literature regarding the education and higher education in broad terms. Restricting our study to misuse of higher education, it has been outlined by Astin (1977) about a basic model names as ‘input-process-output’, which was related to quality of an institution is seen through its well-trained lecturers and professors that create space for a healthy educational environment for the students in order to become the leaders of the tomorrow. It is important to mention here that if the educational environment has bad educational environment and lecturers / professors negligent to educational focus and activities through many ways is the misuse of higher education. Education and profitability in terms of individual growth and nation’s growth has been studied by Owens (2005) and it was known that education has a strong impact in developing individuals and the human race. Irrespective of any country around the globe, Higher Education institutions educate, train and groom students, which then go out in the practical life and face multiple challenges of life and the society we are living in. With the help of Education only we respond and act differently hence, this also shows that quality education is key to mould an individual into a better person as education itself has nothing negative but some people existent in the education profession, picture negativity and mal-teachings to the students, which causes damage in the society. Well-educated people meaning people under the right shelter of educational teachings perform better, don’t take any short-cuts to success and prosper more (Brown, 1989). Gough and Scott (2001) focused on education and society factor and elaborated through his study that highly educated people are more helpful and are prone to deliver the right knowledge to others but it is also important to see that higher education institutions are not keen to deliver the right knowledge but to just make money and business out of this discipline. United Nations Decade of Education of Sustainable Development [UNESCO] (2009) universities are required to follow proper standards of discipline from top-tier to lower-tier (top-management, middle management, faculty/staff, students and administrative staff as well). This regulation is a key factor in building the environment around us. Chauhan (2008) in relation to education studied that country’s development lies in the hands of the teachers / lecturers and professors from initial schooling to the higher education studies. Students experience learning via books, multiple activities etc and that’s how their interests’ are build and developed overtime. In all, from communication skills to complete character and personality is accomplished through the education intuitional tenure. Teachers should also teach students the right things and not to mislead them (Wyne, 1991). In an institution, people come from different walks of life; different religion, race, creed etc, therefore, it’s the responsibility of the teacher to provide them the right knowledge while maintaining all moral and ethical codes. Students will learn whatever is being taught by the institution, knowing that it will impact in a good sense but due to some people the institution undergoes predatory teaching and practices that will in future make hostile circumstances for the society. In short, teachers should also remember that teaching is a great responsibility as it’s a duty of shaping lives and then building nation; both teachers and students should abide the rules and regulations as per the international standards of Education in order to maintain integrity and good faith (Becker, 1971). Keeping the concepts of Education and Higher Education concisely to this learning, following variables have been chosen to analyze the current misuse of the Higher Education around the globe: H1: Highly educated individuals are unable to sacrifice their predatory gains. H2: Highly qualified individuals are not satisfied with their current jobs. H3: High qualification leads to an egotistical nature. H4: Highly qualified people underestimate others. H5: Teaching professors misuse their authorities and perform illegal activities. H6: Literate individuals usually do not listen to their elders. H7: Higher Education is creating negative impact on our moral and ethical values. Methodology A descriptive research methodology was used in which different random countries were selected to assess the misuse of Higher Education. Questionnaire was designed by setting the variables, which included predatory gains, Jobs, egoistical nature, underestimating others, not listening to others / elders, moral and ethical values as dependent variables and Higher educated individuals and Higher Education as independent variables. Data collection was carried out via questionnaire by young and aged professionals, students, teachers, professors, which have undergone Higher Education studies. The questionnaire was based on Likert scale rating from Strongly Agree (1) to Strong Disagree (5) based on the set variables of misuse of Higher Education. The survey was specifically designed and endorsed by ORIC-Iqra University Research Ethics Committee and then the questionnaire was circulated to the sample of 5,000 respondents from different countries like Pakistan, UK, India, USA, China, Indonesia, Turkey, and Thailand, Australia, Germany, UAE, Panama, Albania. Respondents were selected by un-restricted non-probability sampling. 5,000 surveys were carried out and out of 5000 surveys, 4060 respondents answered accurately and the response rate was 81.2%. The surveys which were answered successfully and completely were used for Statistical Analysis via SPSS software. One Sample T- test was used to analyze the data. Findings & Results Findings of this study as shown in table 1, confirms that we are failed to reject all first six hypotheses which are; H1: Highly educated individuals are unable to sacrifice their predatory gains, H2: Highly qualified individuals are not satisfied with their current jobs, H3: High qualification leads to an egotistical nature, H4: Highly qualified people underestimate others, H5: Professors misuse their authorities and perform illegal activities, H6: Literate individuals usually do not listen to their elders as the observed mean values of the respondents’ responses are found higher than the minimal level of agreement with the statements of hypotheses at p < 0.000. While we are failed to accept hypothesis H7 i.e. Higher Education is creating negative impact on our moral and ethical values as for this statement of hypothesis the observed mean values of the respondents’ responses are found lesser than the minimal level of agreement with the statements of hypotheses at p < 0.000. Table 1 - Findings of One-Sample T- Test (Source: made by co-authors) Hypotheses Mean Values Test values Comparisons of MV & TV P-Value Empirical Conclusion H1: Highly educated individuals are unable to sacrifice their predatory gains. 4.4 4 MV > TV 0.000 Accepted H2: Highly qualified individuals are not satisfied with their current jobs. 4.7 4 MV > TV 0.000 Accepted H3: High qualification leads to an egotistical nature. 4.8 4 MV > TV 0.000 Accepted H4: Highly qualified people underestimate others. 4.1 4 MV > TV 0.000 Accepted H5: Teaching professors misuse their authorities and perform illegal activities. 4.3 4 MV > TV 0.000 Accepted H6: Literate individuals usually do not listen to their elders. 4.1 4 MV > TV 0.000 Accepted H7: Higher Education is creating negative impact on our moral and ethical values. 3.2 4 MV < TV 0.000 Rejected TV= Test value= 4 Implies the minimal level of Agreement with the statements of hypotheses by respondents of this research survey. N= Nos. of respondents in the collected sample = 4060 Discussions and Conclusion Gough and Scott (2001) focused on education and society factor and elaborated through his study that highly educated people are more helpful and are prone to deliver the right knowledge to others while in contrast to the findings of Gough and Scott (2001) and so many other authors, this study found the very contrasting facts for the space of selected regions which include Pakistan, UK, India, USA, China, Indonesia, Turkey, and Thailand, Australia, Germany, UAE, Panama, Albania, that though the educations and teachings makes man, human but at times this educations also brought its negative and drastic side effects on the individuals and make people plunged in self assertiveness and ethnocentrism but it’s also true that the impact of educations on individuals varies from person to person.

Authors and Affiliations

Amber Osman, Muhammad Imtiaz Subhani

Keywords

Education Higher education

EP ID EP550065
DOI -
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