Many people do not attach any importance to knowledge or knowledge and use academics to promote inflated egos
Many people do not attach any importance to knowledge or knowledge and use academics to promote inflated egos
IIt is not an uncommon occurrence in academia to praise an individual, department or institution based solely on the number of publications they publish. When speakers are introduced during a conference, the number of publications is given undue importance and is considered a direct marker of an academician’s intellectual superiority or experience. During undergraduate and postgraduate training in medical school, we were fed up with comments like “If you don’t publish, you’re doomed.” After spending a few years in academia, I have begun to question and reflect on the meaning of such statements and their long-term impact on science and scientific prowess.
Academia is considered a noble field and stands apart from its for-profit counterparts. It is believed that academia values the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Sadly, many academics do not share this objective. In my limited experience, I have met only a handful of academics whose true passion is the pursuit of knowledge. Most do not attach any value to other knowledge or wisdom. It is the result of a system where undue importance is given to a number or quantity in comparison to the quality or type of work that people do. The number of publications appears to be inversely proportional to humility and directly proportional to the self-importance or entitlement displayed by the academic.
I am not arguing that quantity should not be a metric in assessing efficacy in education. Nevertheless, I feel strongly that it should not be the only metric and should never be over-rated. If we spend the time to scratch beneath the surface, the truth behind the numbers becomes clear. Giving gift authorship is nothing new in academia. Gift authorship refers to the granting of authorship to a colleague or colleague who has not made a significant contribution to the study. There are some avoidable side-effects of gifted authorship, academics can appear falsely specializing, falsely more competent than others and ultimately put undue pressure to excel even more. Ghostwriting is also not uncommon in academia, where someone else writes and is not acknowledged as an actual contributor to the work.
In a 2016 study by Tijdink et al (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0163251), the authors look at various personality traits associated with research misconduct among Dutch researchers. Promiscuity and research misconduct were more prevalent among researchers in higher academic positions. The study concluded that Machiavellianism may be a risk factor for research misconduct. Machiavellianism is a personality trait that describes individuals who are highly focused on their personal gains and who manipulate and exploit others to any degree to achieve their personal goals. Most individuals with Machiavellianism lack the ability to empathize and understand the perspective of another human being. In a way, Machiavellianism propagates the principle that one must be tough and smart to excel in education. However, the world is already full of tough and smart people and certainly wouldn’t benefit from more of the same kind. Conversely, the world would benefit from compassionate, compassionate and empathetic academics.
a better world
Like artists and writers, academics have an important role to play in making this world a better and sustainable place. If the world of education is only a reflection of all the malpractices happening in the outside world, then there is no hope that academicians will be able to contribute substantially to the development of this society. Too much stress on quantity and reward based on quantity will lead to unhealthy competition. Often unable to see the endless mess of academia Trap: (maze) that they have found themselves in. The struggle to be published or destroyed causes people to forget fundamental human relationships and foster negativity in the work environment.
While the world is recovering from the grip of a pandemic, we need to reinforce some of the lessons the pandemic has taught us. One of the fundamental teachings is that man is not isolated in happiness and sorrow. Even though the world has taught us to be selfish so that we can survive (survival of the fittest), this pandemic has taught us a lesson that we are not islands that can live on our own. A new culture should emerge in the education world where competency is based not only on quantity but also on quality of work and attitude of the individual in pursuit of true knowledge.
I do not want to take a black and white view of the whole system in the education world and conclude that the future is bleak. I have had the privilege of knowing sympathetic and compassionate supervisors and senior colleagues who have demonstrated honesty and enough grace to support young colleagues and pave the way for their development. I sincerely hope that this culture spreads where inclusivity is valued, quality and knowledge are praised and more is not always better.
Dhanalakshmi@gmail.com