The exercise of critical thinking necessitates the utilisation of sophisticated cognitive abilities by educators. Educators hold the belief that they impart critical thinking skills to their students through intellectual stimulation, yet their pedagogical approach primarily emphasises rote memorisation and note-taking within the confines of the classroom. It is noteworthy that the conduct exhibited by educators in the classroom may be impacted by the critical thinking abilities of their students. Consequently, it is imperative to augment teachers’ understanding of critical thinking in order to enable them to proficiently instruct students in the art of critical thinking within the context of university education. Data for the study was obtained via an online questionnaire that was based on Google Form. The qualitative data was analysed using topic order. A collective of 43 educators affiliated with university institutions provided their responses. Based on our findings, it is recommended that students acquire higher-order cognitive skills through a reassessment of pedagogical approaches. Additionally, it is suggested that higher education curricula be updated to incorporate activities, whether within or outside of the curriculum, that focus on the development of critical thinking skills. Failure to grasp fundamental learning concepts such as analysis, synthesis, creativity and thinking may have implications for a student’s future endeavours.