Joblessness: causes and solutions

It must be acknowledged that there is a dearth of jobs and an increasing number of graduates graduating yearly. According to the Institute for Policy Reforms factsheet, the number of unemployed workers was 3.6 million by the end of 2014-15 and the figure is predicted to worsen. Considering the CPEC a game changer, the issue can only be resolved when the government decides to rely on their own Human Resources along with giving job opportunities to the Chinese. Foreign influence is welcome for learning and guidance, but not to the degree that it is detrimental to the local population.
Second, we have a culture of “bhair chaal”. Institutes kick-start a programme and if it becomes a trend with countless students enrolling in it without realising that there would be a certain number of seats in the market. In China, education policy makers make policies annually as to how many professionals are needed in each sector (also for the purpose of dividing the burden) and hence, universities are given a quota to enroll a specific number of students and no more than that.

Third, the difference in the schooling of public and private educational institutes is incredibly huge. It is so, as one’s schooling system goes a long way in improving their practical life. It so happens that the students of private sector institutes are more vocal than that of the public sector because of their curriculum being based on their communicative competence in English. This is the area where the public sector students lag behind which, resultantly, affects their English communication skills (even though they are conceptually clear) and, hence their place for competitive positions in the job market becomes a huge challenge. Therefore, there is a dire need to minimise the differences between the syllabi of, both, public and private sector institutes to bring equal opportunities for both sectors.

Fourth, people tend not to go into professions where their aptitude is strongest and what they truly enjoy doing. When “what we love” and “what we actually do” (because of parental or societal pressure) come into conflict, the result is frustration at the workplace and in personal lives, hence making one more likely to lose their job. Every school must have a counsellor who could help students discover their true talent, whatever it may be - arts or science; math or theatrics.
Fifth, sadly, even people with masters' degrees are not valued. The very own alma maters do not help their students with job opportunities. For instance, the gold medalist of my graduation session has not been considered for teaching even after four years. When educational institutes are not ready to trust their very own students that they should be given a chance to teach at the same educational institute, how can they expect that other organisations to provide them with jobs? It seems like educational institutes do not believe in what they teach. On the other hand, I know a lot of students who have masters degrees but their basic concepts are not clear. If this is the case, the institutes should not issue degrees (for the sake of projecting the number of graduates they are producing every year) to those who do not have fair mastery over the subject.
Sixth, students are not specialised in their subjects because they keep on changing fields every now and then. What happens to most of the students is that they study pre-medical or pre-engineering in Intermediate, but they have to settle for graduation in different subjects when they could not secure admission in medical or engineering universities and end up doing masters in totally different subjects. Hence, they cannot find an appropriate job because organisations would always prefer specialists.

Seventh, the major dilemma of our educational institutes is that their students of entrepreneurship end up finding jobs in the market, becoming a burden on other job seekers. The subject should be designed in such a manner that by the time students are done with their entrepreneurship degree, they must have their own small business set-up, as is done in foreign universities.
Eighth, most of the schools are unaware of the kinds of behavioural patterns and skill sets that are required in the industry. Schools teach X and organisations need Y, and this is where the conflict lies. Tarbiyat is important side-by-side taaleem. Therefore, basic etiquettes, manners and soft skills should be a prioritised value in schools.

Unemployment gives rise to frustration, aggression and depression that affect the very fabric of society. It is the need of the hour that the representatives of industrial organisations, university professors, government officials and curriculum designers sit together on the table and do the needful. Our youth needs jobs, direction and clarity. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.