Criteria of qualification must not exclude brilliants

Of course, qualification is very important. It is important in getting educational opportunities, jobs, promotions and many other opportunities. The aim of seeking qualification, a set of criteria that needs to be fulfilled for getting a certain right, status or opportunity, is to shortlist competitors and select the suitable ones. For example, one needs to have a certain level of education/educational grade for getting admitted to a university, a certain level of education/educational grade for getting a certain type of job, certain years of experience for the promotion from a lower to a higher post, and so on. Without certain qualification criteria, it is difficult to identify those who deserve certain types of jobs, statuses and other opportunities.

Of course, qualification is sought for higher education, jobs, certain statuses or other opportunities across countries. But it is undeniable that the required qualification is not the same for everything. Indeed, qualifications for something are different from those of others. For example, qualifications for education are different from qualifications for jobs and qualifications for one type of job differ from those of others. In addition, required qualifications vary across countries even for the same job and other similar statuses or opportunities. Sometimes the criteria of qualifications are rigorous, but sometimes they are not as the rigorous criteria depend on the type of education, jobs, or other opportunities. But an important aspect is whether all the criteria of qualifications are alright always.

Notably, this writing does not aim at the assessment of all the criteria of qualifications for all sorts of jobs, statuses or other opportunities. But there are some common aspects of qualification criteria that need to be noted here such as certain academic results or other academic achievements that are required for higher education or teaching profession in universities and certain years of experience that are required for different posts in government, non-government, private and other organizations. Of course, such criteria are important and help identify suitable candidates for the desired outcomes. But some questions can be raised: Do such criteria of qualification always include brilliants? Do such criteria secure the placement, promotion or certain status of brilliant candidates all the time? Do recruited, promoted and certain status receiving persons, especially through the employment of such criteria produce the desired outcomes always?

Of course, these are very pertinent aspects that need to be detailed here. It is notable that the criteria of qualification do not always include brilliants for jobs, certain statuses or other types of opportunities. Many students may not get excellent grades but may know considerably enough and can become excellent teachers, even if good graders usually know and perform better. Also, many students may perform poorly at a certain level of education but can secure good results later and perform better. Some have the ability to quickly learn complicated things and become capable enough, generate creative outcomes and perform better without significant years of work experience, while some others may take more years than usually expected. As a result, many brilliants are deprived of jobs, statuses or other opportunities mainly because of rigorous criteria of qualification including years of experience.

Moreover, successful candidates or status seekers selected with certain educational grades, more years of experience and other rigorous criteria of qualification do not necessarily provide a guarantee for quality works, creative outcomes and good performance all the time, though good graders do so on many occasions. Indeed, performance evaluation does not always show that certain graders and persons with more years of experience produce the desired outcomes in managerial jobs, teaching activities, diplomatic jobs and other professions. On the contrary, many especially those who are genuinely brilliants generate quality work, creative outcome or good performance in teaching, managerial jobs, editorship and other professions though they do not have certain academic grades or years of experience. Between academic results and years of experience, the latter is, yet, more problematic on many occasions.

Of course, many factors including exposure to quality works and creativeness, personal determination/willingness and personal abilities rather than more years of experience play important roles in generating quality works and creative outcomes on many occasions. Among the factors, quality works, creative activities or standard performance significantly depend on how one is exposed to quality, creativeness or standard performance. But other factors are not less significant at all. Indeed, what abilities one has to understand quality, creativeness or standard performance and generate quality/standard works and creative outcomes can also determine on many occasions. Consequently, it is difficult to accurately identify the more suitable persons with rigorous criteria of qualifications always, even if rigorous criteria can lead to better selection on many occasions.

Why are then genuinely brilliants kept behind in different education, jobs, statuses or other opportunities in the name of the rigorous qualification criteria? Of course, leaving brilliants outside of higher educational opportunities, good jobs, certain statuses and other opportunities mainly because of the criteria of qualification is not acceptable at all. This is clearly an injustice against them. It is relevant to note that the contributions of brilliants are enormous to society as a whole. Thus, providing the deserving opportunities to brilliants is in the interests of not only brilliants themselves but also others and brilliants need to be given their deserving positions in every, no matter whether the deserving positions/opportunities are jobs, statuses or others. Thus, giving a rethink on certain criteria of qualification is very important.

Of course, more needs to be done to make sure that the criteria of qualification do not leave genuinely brilliants behind from jobs and other opportunities in different countries including Bangladesh. In this respect, different measures need to be taken to address all the above concerns. Thus, the qualification criteria including years of experience need to be revised and made more relaxed so that those who are genuinely brilliants are given the deserving opportunities, not deprived merely because of the criteria of qualification. Notably, some professions strictly require a higher degree of efficiency that comes through experience. But it is undeniable that the relaxed qualification criteria are very important especially for jobs and other opportunities where creativity and intellectual activities are more important.

Of course, time is rendered an important barrier to the consideration of many candidates for selecting the suitable ones. Because of such a constraint, rigorous criteria are often used to limit competition within a few candidates. Sometimes, both inclusion and exclusion criteria are used for this. Though time constraints have some merits. These cannot leave genuine brilliants behind at all. Rather time constraints indicate that there is a lack of plan in requirements and providing other opportunities. Moreover, the usage of the type of assessment process may reduce time constraints. Thus, emphasis should be given to identifying innovative ways for securing justice to brilliants through the improvement in the criteria of qualification for jobs and other statuses/opportunities.

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