The Island Editorial

Graduates’ woes

09th October 2015

A large number of unemployed graduates took to the streets on Wednesday, in Colombo, demanding jobs. But, it is highly unlikely that such protests will jolt politicians into going hell for leather to solve their problem. A minister declared the other day that in the state sector recruitment priority should be given to party supporters!

Successive governments have sought to solve the seemingly intractable problem of graduate unemployment by employing protesters in batches in the state sector which is already bursting at the seams. Most of the graduates protest even after recruitment on the grounds that they are underemployed, underpaid and unconfirmed in service. Politicians continue to apply this ad hoc remedy from time to time without grasping the nettle.

The problem has been aggravated by political appointments in the state sector full of misfits and freeloaders. If competitive examinations are reintroduced to fill vacancies in state institutions, some of the educated job seekers will be able to secure employment there or, at least, they won’t take to the streets, in frustration.

Even if the government succeeded in gearing university education towards job market needs, as promised, the problem of graduate unemployment will persist. For, there won’t be enough jobs for them in the country unless the economy is developed.

The coming together of the UNP and the SLFP to form a national government led to the swelling of ministerial ranks and we are now burdened with a jumbo Cabinet. Likewise, their election pledges should also be combined, especially their much advertised promises to generate job opportunities. The UNP vowed to create one million jobs within five years and the SLFP-led UPFA one and a half million by 2020. Now that both parties are in power, together, they will have to create two and a half million jobs within the next five years!

Meanwhile, preparing undergrads for the job market should not be the raison d’être of the university system. Graduates should, no doubt, be employable, but there is much more to university education than the provision of job training, which is a task that could be accomplished at a lower cost through technical colleges. Job-specific learning should be only one aspect of university education. It is hoped that the government will care to consult academics and other experts in the field of higher education without rushing to introduce reforms.

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) should take serious note of what is being said in political circles about higher education reforms. The problem with politicians’ absurd ideas is that they get implemented, the ill-conceived leadership training being a case in point!

New university entrants need to be told in no uncertain terms, during the orientation programme itself that being armed with a degree alone does not guarantee employment in a highly competitive job market. It should be drilled into them that they have to acquire additional qualifications if they are to secure good jobs upon graduation. Computer literacy and proficiency in English have become basic qualifications in the modern job market where rounded performers are in great demand.

Graduate unemployment is symptomatic of a wider malaise in the higher education sector. University education needs a radical shake-up and more investment. There are lessons that the local universities can learn from their western counterparts which offer multidisciplinary courses of study; some of them even train undergrads in public speaking.

Piecemeal higher education reforms won’t do if the standards of the state universities are to be raised so that their products will be well recognised both locally and internationally.