Unemployment compels doctors, engineers apply for banking-like jobs

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Srinagar, Nov 21: Junaid completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from Himachal Institute of Dental Sciences some years ago with a cost of around Rs 12 lakh.

After unsuccessfully looking for a job in the valley-based hospitals for over three years, he began preparations for the Banking Associate exam.

Danish Farooq suffered similar problems after doing B Tech from Chennai’s SRM College of Engineering, where he managed admission by taking Rs 15 lakh education loan.

“After an eight-month job hunt, I joined a coaching center to prepare for the bank exams,” said Danish.

Danish blames the systemic failure in various government departments, claiming “corruption and complacency” have allowed standards to fall resulting in unemployable graduates.

Aadil Ahmad (name changed) possesses a rare distinction in his village, a quiet hamlet in the higher reaches of north Kashmir.

He did his bachelors and masters in Arts and B. Ed, unlike his friends who dropped out of school.

He belongs to a poor family for whom higher education was once a pipe dream. But all his education hasn’t helped him attain his ultimate goal—become a government teacher.

Despite possessing the prerequisite skills and qualities that a specific job demands, and being technically proficient, the youth in the valley find themselves in a fix due to lack of job opportunities. As a result, the youth seek employment in other areas of work.

According to statistics, Jammu and Kashmir has 88,040 unemployed youth registered with various district employment and counseling centers in the state.

Adding fuel to the fire, various surveys reveal, more than 70 per cent of engineering graduates are not employable.

To make the matters worse, the problem of employability in Kashmir is rampant in both blue and white-collar jobs.

At 12.13 per cent, J&K had the highest unemployment rate in India in 2017, says the data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy in collaboration with Bombay Stock Exchange.

Educationist, Professor B A Dar said the state doesn’t have any manpower planning.

“To say that the number of jobs is decreasing here is not true. There are huge vacancies in the private sector but we don’t opt for such jobs. We are getting the degrees, but not the competence that should come with them,” said Dar.

“If you the competence and expertise, why should you settle for something less?”

However, he said, there is no harm in applying for banking exams and low designation jobs.

“Getting the coveted government job is not always possible. So, I don’t think there is anything wrong in appearing for these exams,” said Dar.

 

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