Risk of 'credentialism' on our kids

Do some parents put so much emphasis or faith on the names of specific schools that they actually harm their young or young adult children? I am convinced the answer is yes. Surely this happens everywhere in the world, and not only in Taiwan. Parents set their sights on schools for their children with names like Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, The International Mind blah, blah, blah, or, National Taiwan University (I can almost hear some readers gasp). These parents, with good intentions and love in their hearts, hound their children to excel in their school tests with great grades so that, regardless of the personal damage that may result, their children can get into and, presumably, one day graduate from such highly respected institutions.

It is foolish (forgive me, please) to insist that every child in every family in a country receive a college education. Not every child is cut out for the rigors of serious study, and serious study is precisely what a real college demands. It is even more foolish to make young people feel shame and humiliation because they didn't manage to get into “a good university.” In Taiwan, that is a code phrase for “a large and famous public university.”

Different universities and departments within them offer different but valuable educations to students of many kinds. Schools and programs at schools with modest reputations and smaller names can still fulfill the dreams and needs of thousands of our young people.

“Credentialism” is an attitude and form of behavior that puts unreasonable, unfair and often dehumanizing pressure on too many of our youth.

Father Daniel J. Bauer SVD is a priest and associate professor in the English Department at Fu Jen Catholic University.

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