Risk of 'credentialism' on our kids

A recent column by two colleagues at National Cheng Kung University, published in our local English press, centered on the word “credentialism” and some of the damage it causes in the lives of our student population. I would like to respond to that column today and address at the same time some of the ramifications of “credentialism” that I believe I see around us.

My software is spinning a curvy red line beneath the term “credentialism.” I interpret this to mean the word does not exist, is rarely used, never used, or simply too odd for print. Oh, rules, anyway! Who needs them?

My Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English does not offer a definition for “credentialism.” This suggests my computer's wavy red line is accurate.

My dictionary does define the related word “credentials” as “someone's education, achievements, experience etc. that prove they have the ability to do something” (396). I happen to know the Latin word for “believe” is “credo,” and the Italian word is “credere.” English terms such as “credulity,” “credible,” and “credit risk” all originate in that Latin root.

The unconventional “credentialism” is undeniably linked to the notion of belief.

My colleagues Hsu Yue-dian and Chen Be-yu, who raised our awareness of the term in the beginning, say “credentialism” is “undue emphasis on degrees and other credentials.” I'll not quibble with their choice of “emphasis.” Perhaps they'll not object to my rendering of “credentialism” as “an exaggerated and unwise faith in the reputation of a school or particular academic program.” I want to expand the range of our special word here.

Hsu and Chen were responding to a news event two weeks ago that involved a “school” (quote marks mine, not theirs) in Tainan that called itself The International Mind Research Institute. This is the place, you may remember, that ran afoul recently of authorities when several of its pupils wound up hospitalized for burns, muscle injuries and psychiatric problems. Well, that can happen when your curriculum promotes the development of human potential by teaching children arts like swallowing flames of fire, walking barefoot on broken glass, and smashing boards to smithereens bare-handed.

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