IDPs in the competitive job market currents

By Sarasi Paranamanna

Unemployed graduates often complain about the government’s inability to harness the precious human resource of graduates while employers often grouse about incapabilities of graduates who cannot meet job requirements.

In Sri Lanka the common perception is that graduating with a university degree is the gateway to the betterment of life. However for many graduates who pass out especially from state universities in Sri Lanka seem to launch a struggle to obtain employment opportunities as we see news reports about unemployed graduates. The Daily Mirror sought to inquire the reasons which lie behind unemployment of university graduates as it is indeed a conundrum if educated youth are left with nothing but a degree certificate and unfulfilled dreams.



Underpaid jobs
Convener of the Combined Association of Unemployed Graduates (CAUG) Dhammika Munasinghe stated that there are nearly 5000 unemployed graduates in the country. While the unemployment rate has dropped according to Central Bank report’s figures the unemployment rate has increased, claimed Munasinghe.
Munasinghe said that the graduates who pass out from universities with Arts  and business management degrees are the group which finds it most difficult to seek employment today. He charged that the university graduates often receive underpaid jobs for which they are overqualified.
“Most of the graduates are recruited for divisional secretariats to carry out duties for which they are over qualified. The govt. claims that they are going to provide employment for the graduates but we are still waiting for that to happen. the graduates that were recruited for the public sector have to  do duties such as trimming hedge plants in district secretariats and making food for nursery children. Some graduates are disheartened by this approach and their youth is wasted because their real capabilities are never utilized” he said.



No effective methodology to recruit graduates?
Munasinghe pointed out that the main flaw in the recruitment system is that the government does not adopt any effective mechanism to employ graduates who pass out from universities. He said that syllabuses in the university system were in dire need of revision.
Meanwhile another university student union claimed that subjects like English and Information Technology were the challenges to most university students. President of the Sisu Heravuma Movement, Baratha Tennakoon noted that the entire system needed a revolutionary change because the student passes out from university as an individual who has been exhausted by the delays in the university system.
“Students who come from private schools and even in other countries learn subjects like information technology and English with other subjects in schools. They do not make an extra effort to learn these subjects. But most of the students in state universities are not affluent enough to have received education from private schools and they do not have resources to learn these privately. Moreover in state universities the time period taken to complete a degree is anyway longer. Thus with strikes and protests and other delays the student is about 27or 28 years old when he obtains the degree. He is naturally worn out by the system and it becomes a struggle to find a job because obviously he has not learnt update subject matter” he said.
He also pointed out that in top universities the degree courses are updated to be in line with the job market. Tennakoon added that in Sri Lanka students who mastered subjects likes Buddhist Civilization, geography and similar subjects are recruited for administrative or clerical jobs. He highlighted how the courses and the number of students enrolled in every course should be categorized according to the demands in the job market to avoid educated individuals being out of jobs.



Akkara Paha mindset vs the Machan mindset
Speaking to Daily Mirror following his latest book launch which was about economic strategies Professor Rohan Samarajeewa claimed that the present generation is in the Machan mindset. In his latest book he notes the present generation is incessantly attempting to seek job opportunities as well as higher education opportunities abroad.
In the film Machan which was directed by Prassana Vithanage the protagonist seeks employment opportunities in the west for a better future. Prof. Samarajeeva drawing a comparison with the film and the present generation pointed out that seeking for greener pastures is seen as the only the way to reach a good stage in life.
On the contrary according to Prof. Samarajeeva the earlier generation had the Akkara Paha mindset. Their outlook on higher education was different to the present generation as unlike the present generation who seeks employment abroad, they sought to rely on higher education in the hope of shaping a better life following the completion of higher education.
The Akkara Paha film, directed by Professor Lester James Peries portrays a youth coming to the city for higher education which is funded by every penny his parents had in order to bestow a better life for their son. This happens to be the approach of many parents in Sri Lanka and we hear many stories of similar nature to that of the protagonist in Akkara Paha when we get into conversation with students who enter state universities from rural areas.
However many may challenge the Akkara Paha mindset as this approach is no longer a reality. Even though it seems important to pursue higher education in order to obtain higher remuneration in employment.graduates are often recruited for jobs that are under paid while the others lament demanding for  jobs. At the book launch it self Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka W.A. Wijewardana said that graduates who were recruited for the Central Bank had to be given a month’s training before they commence work as they couldn’t  fully meet the job requirements.
Dr. Nirmal Ranjtih Devasiri, President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations pointed out that the government tries to directly link employment with higher education. However Dr. Devasiri said that job market should be analyzed first before coming into the conclusion that the university system is at fault.
“The government is harping on BPO job opportunities but do we really need graduates to do those jobs? The thinking behind all these private institutions which offer professional qualifications is also similar. But higher education should not be perceived from such a narrow view” he said
He highlighted that the nature of the job market should be looked into and pointed out that the government should address the issue of improving the quality of higher education in state universities.
“Why do we need universities? Is it just to produce students with degrees? Is it just here to enable students to gain employment? The quality of higher education decreases if one views it in such narrow terms” he said.
It is obvious that the current unemployed graduates should be recruited for jobs but more importantly in order to address the root of the matter it is fundamental to perceive higher education in broader terms and to improve the quality of higher education. The products of such a system will not only be easily employable but will assist the country to transform into a knowledge hub.