How knowledge and skills go together in higher education

Raeesah Tasleem Shaik, a bio technology student of St. Francis College for women, Hyderabad, remembers that, just like any other normal teenager, she too was constantly asked about her dream career. She tells us that from a young age, she had quite a wavering mind and she could not settle onto one particular choice of interest. As she grew and as she got exposed to multiple options, she realized that bio-technology aroused her interests.

The knowledge you have is delivered through the skills you possess.

Raeesah strongly believes that skills and knowledge go hand in hand. She thinks that schools and other educational institutions need to equip the students with basic skills that are required to meet the global standards of the work industry. “The knowledge you have is delivered through the skills you possess.” At this point in life, she is highly appreciates her school and college for teaching her the right social skills.

She remembers that as a child she was quite shy but as time flew, she happily reflects that she understood her strengths and weaknesses and proactively worked on them. Today, she believes that she has a good set of skills for her to achieve her goal and she believes she will learn more with experience. She openly reflects on the fact that her parents were not very supportive of her choice initially.

Raeesah thinks that skill development needs to start at a very young age, and it needs to be honed continuously. Skills like working in teams needs to be incorporated to the child from a young age. In her case, she feels that the idea and the importance of learning a skill were given enough emphasis in her family. Apart from being a bio-technology graduate, Raeesah is also a terrific artist. She says, “The skills that I have acquired so far, and the ones I will acquire, I’ll carry throughout my life, because what better than skills can support a man’s contented existence.