Declining
Educational Standards and Job Seeking
by Prof. G. S. Mahla, Sr. E.L.F.
A recent survey by a reputed international agency shows that
no Indian university or institute, not even the “prestigious” IITs and IIMs,
figures in the top 100 best universities of the world. It is really a matter of
grave concern for all those who want to
see India as a developed nation; and it is a slap in the face of those who talk
of India being a Super Power. Our
educational system is in the doldrums,
and it is a pity that there is no one who is doing anything to make it
world class, even though many who matter seem to be concerned about this
pathetic state of the educational system. In fact, we talk and talk but do
nothing to improve the situation. In fact, the policy makers or the educational
administrators simply don’t know how to improve this pathetic state of the
educational system. Among a plethora of universities, there is not one that
could be called a world class one, despite such claims by many of them. The
system is degenerating day by day and no effort is made to stem the rot.
Every year millions of students are churned out of these
universities. Most of these graduates and post-graduates are good for nothing
sorts of persons. They haven’t learnt enough that could call them “educated” in
the true sense of the term. They have got nothing to offer except a degree and
mark-sheet. That is why more than 90% of them are not employable. They not only
don’t have sufficient knowledge of their subjects of study, they also don’t
have any skills which could make them of any use to any organization. Their
knowledge rarely matches the high marks they usually obtain in the
examinations. A student scoring 90% marks in a subject has a very superficial
knowledge of that subject. Most of the students score very good marks in the
exams without any understanding of the subjects. One wonders how they manage to
score such high marks! So, these degrees and mark-sheets are not a true measure
of the real learning of a candidate. These documents show that he has only
appeared in a certain examination and passed it without having any knowledge of
the subjects.
In such a scenario, it is not surprising that most of the
pass outs of the colleges and universities only add up to the long and
labyrinthine queues of the frustrated unemployed youths every year. The govt.
of course, cannot provide jobs to all these degree-holders. It’s simply
impossible. The corporate sector cannot hire such youths because they have got nothing
else except the degrees to prove their academic credentials.
There are lots of vacancies lying vacant in the corporate
sector for lack of availability of qualified and competent persons. There is no
dearth of jobs for right kind of people. Plenty of jobs are waiting for those
who have some worth in them. In fact, the demand for the qualified manpower is
far greater than the supply of such persons. Therefore, only the worthless are
unemployed in the country. Only those who wasted their time in getting degrees
and nothing else are unemployed.
One of the reasons for the students not having adequate
knowledge of a field/ subject is that while they remain in schools and
colleges, they primarily focus more on scoring good marks in the exams rather
than acquiring knowledge of the subjects of study and many more areas of
interest to the industry.
Here a pertinent point
is that candidates coming from villages and small towns have talent in them,
and they are also very hard working. But they lack in some basic things which
are otherwise superficial, but very important in getting a job, e.g. they are
very shy and hesitant, have no dressing sense, are not well mannered, can’t
take initiative, don’t have many essential soft skills, etc.
For this simple reason the private sector prefers to employ
urban candidates, even though they are inferior up to some extent to the rural
folks. That is why the later must make some extra efforts for preparing for a
job.
So, what should a student do in order to make himself
employable? Apart from gaining very good knowledge of the subjects of study, a
student must acquire some basic skills which will enhance his employability. For
this, we must know what skills are in demand in the corporate world. One must
observe the demand pattern in the job market. And knowing that one must prepare
accordingly right from the under graduate level. Apart from having a good
knowledge of your subjects, you must acquire certain skills which are essential
for getting a good job of your choice.
The following skills are very important for getting a job:
1. Communication
Skills: Whatever the job, communication skills play a great role in
getting success. Having good knowledge of a language is key to effective
communication. Master the grammar and pronunciation of the language of your
communication. Read good newspapers, magazines and literature. Watch good TV
channels for verbal expression and pronunciation. Write something regularly on
simple topics of your interest.
2. English
Language: English is a global language and in this age of ITC
(Information Technology and Communication) when the whole world has become a
small village, English helps a lot in reaching out to the whole world. Master
the language the world understands.
3. Computer
Skills: A person without adequate knowledge of computers is as good
as an illiterate man. A techno-savvy person is far ahead of those who don’t
have much understanding of it. Computers have become an integral part of our
everyday life. Learning about computers and their power of performance is
indispensible for getting just any job. Move with the world. Don’t get left
behind by ignorance of this marvel of the modern world.
4. Soft
Skills: These are the skills which reflect our personality. They are
life coping skills and very important for living a meaningful and productive life.
If you don’t have some of the most important soft skills like positive
thinking, team work, time management, stress and anger management, listening
skills, you cannot play a constructive role in any organization. Therefore,
making these soft skills a part of one’s
personality is imperative for success in life.
5. Personality
Development: An impressive and pleasant personality is the first step
towards achieving success. Know the qualities and components of an attractive
personality and then improve your personality by imbibing them.
