The End of Certificates: Why Skills Are the New Currency of Relevance
By Rikwense Muri
There was a time in our national journey when success required little more than the ability to read and write in English. Those who possessed this skill were assured of employment and a stable livelihood.
That era gave way to the dominance of the university degree. With a degree in hand, many secured respectable jobs, built families, and enjoyed upward mobility. But the labour market, dynamic and unforgiving, did not stop there. Soon, a master’s degree or a doctorate became the new standard, as employers demanded ever higher qualifications.
Then came the wave of foreign education. Degrees from universities abroad were suddenly considered superior, and many ambitious young people sought them at great personal and family sacrifice.
Today, however, we find ourselves in a very different reality. The era of certificates is over. We are firmly in the era of skills. What matters now is not the paper you hold but the problems you can solve. The global economy increasingly rewards what you can do with your brain or your hands, not the titles attached to your name.
This is not mere rhetoric. By 2025, machines and robots are projected to displace more than 800,000 jobs worldwide. New market demands will evolve, and traditional forms of work will continue to erode. Many roles that existed a decade ago have already vanished; many more will follow. The “future of work” is not distant—it is unfolding before our eyes.
The question, therefore, is unavoidable: are we preparing for this future, or are we waiting to be overtaken by it?
Too many young people still cling to certificates while holding obsolete knowledge. Too many still look to governments that neither know their names nor owe them guarantees of employment. Meanwhile, opportunities abound for those who are willing to unlearn, learn, and relearn.
To remain relevant in this season, we must all invest in ourselves. Continuous self-development is no longer optional; it is the price of survival. The cost of ignorance and poverty will always be higher than the cost of knowledge and skills.
And this responsibility extends beyond us as individuals. Parents, guardians, and leaders must begin to reorient children and young people to combine formal education with practical, profitable skills—particularly in digital and technological fields. By doing so, we secure not only their relevance but also the future competitiveness of our nation.
The world has moved. Certificates alone will not carry anyone across this new threshold. Skills, adaptability, and innovation will. The earlier we embrace this truth, the better prepared we will be to thrive in the realities of tomorrow.
Would you like me to also give it a shorter, punchier headline (like something an editor would slap on the front page to grab readers), or keep it as it is—formal and explanatory?
