Setting the Stage: A Divided Room

I began the session by highlighting the context that sparked the motion. In countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, graduate unemployment rates exceed 30 percent and 55 percent ; and African employers say that university graduates are not job-ready. At the same time, I presented data from UNESCO (2024) which indicates that average earnings for a university graduate in Africa are three times than those with secondary education alone.

A pre-debate poll of the audience revealed that votes were nearly split. 55 percent of attendees voted in favour of the motion that traditional university degrees no longer prepare Africa’s youth for real jobs, while 45 percent opposed the motion. With the stage set, four distinguished academician debaters presented their opening remarks.

For the Motion: “Degrees Are Out of Sync with Reality”

Dr Nhlanhla Thwala, Provost and Vice Chancellor at the African Leadership University in Rwanda, spoke in support of the motion by defining “traditional degrees” as discipline-specific, theoretically grounded, and relatively disconnected from both interdisciplinary practice and real-world skills.

“We know they are failing,” he said, “because the numbers of graduates from these degrees are piling up on the unemployment lines.” He cited South Africa’s 2025 statistics: 1,800 doctors graduated, but the government only had funds to employ 800. “Why can’t the other 1,000 work elsewhere?” he asked. “Because they were trained to work in hospitals, and not to be entrepreneurs, and not to adapt to other skills.”

He linked this to a deeper structural issue: while economies are evolving to meet the demands of the third and fourth industrial revolutions, universities are still grounded on the elements found in a n outdated second industrial revolution model, one geared towards factory-style, linear employment.

Dr Ahmed Al Mata’ni, Associate Dean for General Education and General Foundation at the Modern College of Business and Science (MCBS) in Oman, followed by critiquing the assumption that a degree alone can guarantee employability.

“Degrees can function like a bus pass; they take you somewhere, but not everywhere,” he remarked. He highlighted the disconnect between classroom and workplace: 57 percent of African university graduates claim to never have to do a project connected to a real industry challenge. “They can pass a test,” Dr Al Mata’ni concluded, “but not the test of life.”

He stressed that of the 12 million students graduating annually across Africa, only 3 million find employment, and those who do often succeed by seeking experiences beyond what their universities provided.

Against the Motion: “Education is Evolving and Still Essential”

As an opponent of the motion, Lyneth Tlangelani Zungu, Director of MBA at South Africa’s Henley Business School Africa, argued that many African universities have already embraced reform.

She argued that the term “traditional degree” is unfairly used by the critics to suggest that all university education is outdated, adding that universities have embedded innovation into their degree programmes.

“African universities are preparing the youth for the future, with innovation, with intentionality, and the measurable impact,” she said.

She cited numerous examples such as Ashesi University in Ghana, which offers mandatory courses in design thinking, ethics and entrepreneurship. In South Africa, the University of Johannesburg in offers a degree in digital transformation, while University of Cape Town integrates sustainability, green finance and responsible management in its courses.

Her own institution, Henley Business School provides a modular “ladder of learning” allowing students to take breaks after certificates, return to industry and re-enter their chosen academic pathway.

Zungu acknowledged the need to update curriculum, but rejected the claim that degrees are inherently obsolete. “We don’t need to rehaul traditional education,” she said. “We need to revamp, update and add to what is already in place.”

Joining her was Professor Edward Hoseah, Vice Chancellor at the University of Iringa in Tanzania, who reminded the room of the foundational role universities play in any economy or society. “Traditional degrees lay the groundwork: a knowledge base and theoretical foundation, without which you can’t build anything,” he said. “You don’t throw away a house because the roof needs fixing.”

The Crossfire: Reform, Reality, and Responsibility

As the debate entered into the crossfire round, tensions ramped up even higher, but so did the clarity of arguments. In the favour of the motion, Dr Thwala reiterated a critical point: “The rate of change outside universities is faster than the rate of change inside them. That’s why we are producing graduates that the economy rejects.”

He called for an “educational overhaul”, not to reject learning, but to develop new models that are interdisciplinary, digitally fluent, and entrepreneurially driven.

Zungu responded with a broader lens: “Education alone isn’t the problem. Let’s not ignore labour policies, political realities, and systemic barriers. You can’t put all the blame on curricula.”

Professor Hoseah presented some new evidence from Tanzania’s National Centre for Education Statistics (2023) showing that employment rates among 25-34 years old with Bachelor's Degrees are at 80 percent, far above national averages. Dr Mata’ni responded with a challenge: “Respectfully, you’re still living in the past. We need to acknowledge that something is broken before we can fix it.”

He cited Kenya’s Moringa School where 85 percent of graduates are employed, attributing this success as a result of hands-on skill-based training outside the traditional university system.

Perspectives from the Floor: The Middle Path Emerges

When I opened the floor for audience questions and observations, I heard several requests for a hybrid solution; one that maintains the rigor of traditional degrees while demanding their transformation.

One university leader encapsulated it aptly: “Don’t abandon traditional education, but adapt it. We need discipline-specific knowledge, but also soft skills, critical thinking, and adaptability to meet an unpredictable future.”

Another participant questioned the foundational assumption of the motion itself: “Are we really dealing with a degree problem or a job creation problem? Even 10,000 Harvard graduates couldn’t be absorbed by many African economies today.”

Several raised concerns regarding equity and access; abandoning university systems would only deepen socio-economic gaps unless alternative models are scaled widely and affordably.

As a moderator, these moments reminded me how complex and connected the issue is. Curriculum reform alone cannot fix structural job market limitations. At the same time, job creation alone cannot solve skills mismatches.

Key Takeaways: From Confrontation to Convergence

By the time we reached for closing statements, I noticed a slight change in the room:

· Degrees are important but not sufficient

· The problem is not with offering traditional degrees, but how they are designed, delivered and aligned with evolving needs

· An effective system would combine theoretical depth with practical training, industry exposure, and the ability for students to shape their own future.

· The broader ecosystem – economic and regional policy, infrastructure, innovative ecosystems – shapes an individual’s prospects of success after graduation, not just curriculum.

There was an agreement on the need for curriculum reform, pedagogical innovation and industry-academia partnerships, but they must be tailored to Africa’s own unique needs and demographics. As Dr Thwala concluded: “We are not saying degrees are useless. We’re saying they must evolve. The butterfly cannot fly if it stays trapped in the cocoon of tradition.”

Final Poll Results and a Lasting Conversation

The debate ended with a concluding vote. The motion that traditional degrees no longer prepare Africa’s youth for real jobs had demonstrably attracted more support than in the first round.

However, the members who voted “for the motion” admitted that their goal was not abolition, but transformation. Likewise, those “against the motion” acknowledged the importance of ongoing reform and responsiveness.

In my closing remarks, I addressed the room and emphasised this is not a binary issue. It’s a continuum and a call to action. Whether they voted for or against, what matters now is how we reshape higher education to serve out continent better.

Conclusion: From Debate to Design

Moderating this debate made me realise that the question of whether degrees prepare Africa’s youth for real jobs was no longer the main issue.

The deeper question is whether we as educators, policymakers, and institutions are ready to rethink what a degree could mean.

The answers will not come from single reform. They will emerge from innovation, teamwork and continuous dialogue, which this session shows, Africa’s higher education leaders are ready for.