Youth Unemployment in India
Context:
- Youth unemployment and lost opportunities are two topics that voters in the current round of assembly elections are allegedly quite concerned about, but the parties have not sufficiently addressed.
What is the problem and how are the involved parties handling it?
- The dearth of employment is made worse by the pervasive frauds and protracted hold-ups in state-level professional degree and government employment entrance exams.
- In Telangana, the BJP has pledged a transparent and timely conclusion to the Telangana Public Service Commission examinations, while the Congress has promised a job calendar.
- According to reports, candidates in Rajasthan who voice their opposition to the frequent delays in government job recruitment are receiving support.
- In the last four years, eight examinations administered by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission have been cancelled due to controversy surrounding paper leaks, result manipulation, and lawsuits.
- Handouts may have defeated employment as a poll issue in Madhya Pradesh, a state still plagued by the ghost of the Vyapam scam, but only to the extent that young voters’ priorities and worries were pushed to the back burner.
The situation of unemployment in the states headed for a poll:
- The youth unemployment rates in the five states that are headed for elections are 15.1%, 12.5%, 11.9%, 7.1%, and 4.4% in Telangana, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, respectively, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey of 2022–2023.
- Of these, the rates of youth unemployment in Telangana, Rajasthan, and Mizoram are greater than the 10% national average.
- In the same age range, the numbers are significantly higher for women.
Consequences of these states’ extreme unemployment:
- This results in a culture of fear and fierce rivalry, aggravating situations already marred by the disparities of gender, caste, class, and religion.
- This is demonstrated by the growth of coaching institutes in areas like Kota, where students swarm annually to prepare for competitive exams and where a startling number of student suicides is reported.
How can fewer students choose to sit for competitive tests, so lessening their distress?
- A variety of tactics that take into account both the supply and demand sides of the market can be used to lower the number of students enrolling in competitive exams.
Regarding the supply side:
- Encourage pupils to consider a wide range of career alternatives outside of those that are typically linked with competitive tests in order to promote diversified career paths. This can be accomplished by providing career guidance, exposing people to many businesses, and emphasising the variety of abilities and skills necessary for success in various fields.
- Increase the number of students who have access to high-quality education by making sure that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, may do so. This entails offering teachers who are qualified, a welcoming learning environment, and fair access to resources.
- Decrease the emphasis on rote learning and high-stakes exams: Education should now place more of an emphasis on teaching students how to think critically, solve problems, and be creative than on rote learning and test preparation. This can be accomplished by valuing experiential learning and inquiry-based learning in a more all-encompassing approach to education.
Regarding the side of demand:
- Boost career prospects in a variety of fields: Provide greater job opportunities in industries not usually linked to competitive examinations. Government programmes, business alliances, and entrepreneurship promotion can all help achieve this.
- Enhance pay and working conditions in exam disciplines that aren’t competitive: Increase the appeal of employment in exam fields that aren’t competitive by providing competitive pay, favourable working circumstances, and chances for growth.
- Increase student knowledge of non-competitive exam job paths: Educate students on the variety and fulfilment of career options that may be found outside of competitive exams. Online resources, workshops, and career fairs can all help with this.
- Attenuate the social pressure that frequently encourages students to take competitive tests in order to lessen the pressure to do so. Public awareness campaigns, parent education, and adjusting parental expectations can all help achieve this.
- A more equal and diverse job landscape can be achieved by combining these techniques to lower the number of students sitting competitive examinations.
Way Forward:
- The need for jobs and a system that creates opportunity must be heard by political parties in states headed for election results.
