For us all, time is key in determining our perspectives. The more time that we have, more often than not, will provide us with opportunity for deeper insights; which insights change our perspectives.

As more information becomes available to us, over time, we will get those light bulb moments that trigger such questions as: “Who would have ever thought ….?” Borne of ‘the penny has dropped moments’ – realization of new understanding.

When it comes to the formal education system, for example, increasingly questions are asked:

• Who would have thought ‘an educated person’ would be a —-?
• Can you believe the person employed as —- is ‘an educated person’?

There were times when certain jobs were thought of as those for the ‘educated persons’ and certain jobs were considered as those that are for those ‘un-educated persons’.

More frequently, the categorizations no longer always hold true. Which begs the question:

Why is it that we spend significantly on higher level formal education, knowing full well that a significant number of those who go through higher level formal schooling often end not directly employed in the field of their studies?

A research question for which we would be interested in the answers.

For more on us reflecting on this question, we invite you to check out our other short blog posts: 1) Focus on Kole and girl child education; 2) Gender lens on concept of work; 3) Church, women and unemployment; and 4) Educated, unemployed and frustrated.