Educated and unemployed

A youth from the greater Chittagong district figured in a Bangla daily about a year ago, albeit pitiably. Finishing his Masters in Management from a private university, he had been on a frenzied job hunt for more than a couple of years. Frustrated and disillusioned at the faint prospect of a job befitting his academic qualifications, he, in a state of cynic resignation concealed his university degrees while applying for an office assistant's job in a state-run corporation that required 'HSC-passed' and some computer skills as qualifications. He got the job right but was later charged with misdeclaration of facts when after an year he applied for an elevation in the same organisation, this time unsuspectingly divulging his university qualification. The story, beside his personal misery, told the appalling narrative of a majority of the youths in the country, tricked by higher education.  

Unemployment or underemployment of educated youths has struck a record low in the country in recent years. While this is commonly believed to be  an indication of institutional ineffectiveness and inefficiency, a good deal stems from the tendency to pursue higher studies as the most undirected of ambitions among the majority of the young people. True, increase in the number of the educated unemployed is largely due to a mismatch between the aspirations of the educated youths and employment opportunities available to them. But this again conversely explains the gap, i.e., the lack of direction in pursuing higher education. No doubt, for a country like ours, this represents drainage of scarce resources. Large sums of money are invested in educating unemployed university graduates which could otherwise have been invested in job-creating productive programmes.

A recent study conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has come up with some startling disclosures at a national workshop on 'Labour Market Transition for Young Women and Men in Bangladesh' organised by BBS in collaboration with International Labour Organisation (ILO). The study shows that unemployment rate of young university graduates is four times that of those with primary level education -- 26.1 per cent and 6.0 per cent respectively. The study also said that of  the 38 per cent of the employed youth population, 31.7 per cent are self-employed and 11.1 per cent are unpaid family workers representing the vulnerable category comprising 42.8 per cent of employed youths.

According to BBS data, the total youth population in the country was more than 30 million in 1990 which rose to more than 44 million in 2010 and will reach 45.64 million in 2015 and 46.37 million by 2020. Female youth unemployment rate is 22.9 per cent, nearly four times the male rate of 6.2 per cent. The rate is 26.1 per cent among young university graduates.

Higher education, believed to be a tool for job security, has not necessarily proved appropriate in this land. The key motivating factor for obtaining a university degree in most cases is fulfilment of an ambition, whether or not that adds to the skill of the individual to compete in the tight job market. Enrolment of the number of students in subjects such as Linguistics, Library science, Anthropology, Islamic studies, Philosophy and the like explains the rush for higher education, with no clearly defined prospects in job market. For those who are above-average, the problem is not too demanding as they can find out avenues for employment sooner or later. But for the average and below-the-mark rankers, university degrees not pursued with clear planning and a degree of practical wisdom is a burden. This has been the case with a majority of the university graduates for long. The stark reality we must not miss is that a large number of the university graduates end up with no considerable level of skill enhancing abilities. Needless to say, a country's economy becomes more productive as the proportion of educated and skilled workers increases.

In recognition of the limitations in providing ample scope for employment in the country, isn't it time we gave a serious thought to curb the waste in the name of higher education for the vast number of young people who end up deluded by their university degrees? Our populist psyche might find this outrageous.

But the reality is while society perceives higher education as a pathway to social advancement, it is the quality of higher education and the attitude of those aspiring to obtain higher education that matter. Completing higher education just does not make one competent enough to perform a job befitting one's academic qualifications.

Adjusting the education system to market demands in various sectors of the economy and a strong emphasis on technical and vocational education are known and proven choices that we are yet to fully come to terms with.

wasiahmed.bd@hotmail.com