Education System Lacks Vision, Innovation

Musavirr Wani For the last few years, there is persistent rise in the unemployment in the state.

The state government's recruitment policy is also vague and ambiguous.

The process moves at snail's pace.

Even if the recruiting agencies like Public Service Commission (PSC) or Service Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) advertise posts, they take years together to conduct interviews.

If the statistics are to be believed then there are 1,40,000 registered unemployed youth in the state.

If the government has failed to address distress among youth because of unemployment in Kashmir, the youth here have equally lagged behind in gaining skills and expertise suitable for the present job market.

The unrest among youth can be attributed to the cause that most of them hanker after government jobs ignoring the fact that mere acquisition of degrees does not count much in this cut-throat competition.

"Going back to 14th century, the great saint-scholar of Kashmir Hazrat Mir Syed Ali Hamdani had urged the people of Kashmir to acquire skills and promote work culture.

He brought with him different crafts, which also boosted economy of Kashmir at that time," explains Suhail, an advocate by profession.

"Before 1950, the education was not common in Kashmir.

Few educated people could be easily absorbed in the government institutions.

Now the education is a widespread.

Since the people want to lead a comfortable life, they always rummage around for easy way of making money.

People have completely given up their skills.

No wonder, either they remain dependent on their ancestors' wealth or they only hanker after government jobs," he adds.

According to him, mere the possession of degrees would not resolve the unemployment problem.

Education system demands immediate reformative measures.

"Education should make you self-reliant so that you can survive in this tough and cut- throat competition.

Yet in our education system, most of the students are taught how to pass examination only, not how to understand subjects, which renders them as qualified illiterate.

These so-called reputed institutions do not produce accomplished and thinking students, who could choose their goal with precision and caution," Suhail maintains.

"Education system is in shambles.

It is simply messy and chaotic.

People are lacking clear vision.

There is mushroom growth of educational institutions, which ironically do not imbibe skills among students.

Consequently, the degrees become obsolete having no relevance in present job market," comments Professor Masood-ul-Haq.

"It is plainly unwise to aim unreasonably high and then get depressed when it does not work out.

There is need to do plenty of research before entering any field.

It is just like separating wheat from the chaff and imbibe only what's pressingly relevant," he reiterates.

"Government should set up call centers in Kashmir.

This industry is growing up in India by leaps and bounds.

This sector provides significant number of jobs to the two million English speaking college graduates.

Call interaction centers constitute over 80 percent of total ITES revenues," points out Faisal, an unemployed youth.

"In Kashmir, the people, who are willing to take risk and aspire to set up their own institutions are neither encouraged in family nor in peer group.

Moreover there are several bottle necks like bureaucracy, corruption and red-tapism.

Kashmir is cut off from the rest of India.

After 1991, when the phenomenon of globalization hit India, it had no real effect on Kashmiris," comments Shahid, a University student.

Another student from the department of Law of Kashmir University, Mehwish opines, "Ironically only medicine and engineering are the most sought after professions in Kashmir.

People never think to opt for innovative courses." Government's recruitment policy is nothing but a shrewd move to stop new appointments at regular interval, she alleges.