The issue of whether the minister should come from an academic background was mentioned at a recent forum.
The forum focused on the intersectionality of public policy and higher education. It was organised by undergraduate political science students at a public university.
They did a superb job. However, and this is no fault of the organisers, the atmosphere at the faculty auditorium often “see-sawed” between dignified and scholarly discourse, and boisterous, fist-pumping, political sloganeering and rallying.
This was probably unavoidable since the speakers were impassioned, and the panel featured both academics and politicians.
What is more critical though is...