Woke up to read about the latest on the CJP protest! I am in Canada, hence it is morning here! Wonder how those, who were hoping that India will go the way of our neighbours, will act! India is reputed to be a country which goes one step forward and two steps back! Hope it will change! I do not think it is worthwhile to discuss the fairness of the demand that a minister resigns! It is said anything is fair in love and war! It is especially so in politics where the love for power is immense.
As kids we were indeed called 'cockroaches' to put us down. I guess the CJP youth are all Gen Z. They called themselves cockroaches thanks to a Judge, who claims he was misquoted! I think and hope these young people are just 'pretend' and not 'real' cockroaches!
The 'real' ones hide behind the wood work and come out at opportune times. The corrupt, crooked and greedy ones who infiltrate with selfish motives are the real cockroaches. They are seen everywhere, as business persons, bureaucrats, politicians and so on! It is difficult to ferret them out. It is even more difficult to keep them out in our type of democracy!
I am reminded of our 'innocent' student days! We used to go on strike almost every year. It would be to demand a postponement of the 'Public' exams. The reason given was that some teachers had not completed the prescribed syllabus. The real reason was, some of the average students, suddenly realizing they had not revised the two years of lessons in time for the exams, wanted to buy more time to prepare! We also protested whenever the monthly fees were increased by five rupees or so, especially in the government run degree colleges! I do not remember a strike to sack unpopular teacher!
Once, we were not even in college at that time, some of us joined a strike by the older students and broke the streetlight bulbs in the areas near our high school! As the replacement of bulbs took a long time, we did inconvenience the people in the neighbourhood. However no one asked us to apologies to the public! An elderly person did lecture us, in Kannada it sounded very harsh.
In one such strike, things went out of hand, and suddenly the student leaders called off the strike. One of the leaders, a good debater and a friend, later told me why! He said that non-students and undesirable characters had got in and were trying to take over! Glad the leadership acted Sensibly. I guess we could be called Gen S. Or may be Gen T (Timid)
We need to find solutions for lack of jobs and lack of security!
It is indeed tough for the Gen Z in India. We have 370 million them. It is said the population growth has come down. While it is good to know. We require solutions to problems faced by the present millions of youngsters. We do not need leaders who try to exploit the situation and point fingers at others. It is a criss that needs to be solved as a country. There is no magic wand here!
The problems started after India began doing well in agriculture and our health improved! All good signs. Thanks to the team work of Manmohan Singh and P.V. Narasimha Rao the Licence Raj ended. It was not their fault while our business men ran to China to import in huge numbers! I was told it was natural after a long period of controls. The 'pent up demand' once met, it would stop! Meanwhile many manufacturers in India stopped producing as they could not compete with China. 'Well let them learn to be productive' it was said. Which meant labour should cooperate. No idea if they did. May be yes!
It was also the time the rich found an opportunity to open schools and colleges, to cater to the large number of students, and meet demand of the growing population. A win-win situation.
There were talks about controlling the population. It remained more as an intent than an action! We produced innumerable graduates. Interestingly none wanted a job in the farms!
To cut the story short, while India was shining, our cautious nature vanished. Hubris set in! What is known as the 'top one percent' wanted everything and got them. They could import with impunity! India was not poor!
I understand it is the middle class children, who studied, and paid school fees are the most frustrated anti-establishment group. They would now be part of CJP . They are said to be 35-40% of the Gen Z, about 148 million. Add to this 45-50%, 185 million consisting of BPL and Low Income families. A monumental task.
Gen Z in India faces a staggering youth unemployment rate of roughly 15.7%, with highly educated graduates experiencing joblessness rates near 29% for men and a brutal 36.9% for women. This situation highlights a complex structural crisis. Despite India's booming economy, millions of young people find themselves holding formal degrees that fail to align with market requirements.
It is a problem faced by the Gen Z all over the world. The broader picture is insane! It is not just India! Let us not compare and say either we are better or worse. I quote below just to give a perspective.
AI gyan! A broader picture! I use Gemini!
Globally, Generation Z includes more than 2 billion people, with roughly 40% projected to hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while one in five (20%) are currently without jobs, education, or training.
The transition from school to the workforce has created a challenging job market for this generation. Gen Z is on track to be the most educated generation in history:
The "Useless Degree" Sentiment: Despite high graduation rates, a shifting economy has led 51% of Gen Z to view their expensive degrees as a poor financial investment. Many are shifting focus toward skilled trades and AI entrepreneurship.
Finding entry-level positions has become incredibly difficult for young adults due to shrinking junior roles and the rise of AI automation.
The NEET Crisis: Globally, 20% of Gen Z fall into the category of NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
Regional Jobless Figures: In the United States, this accounts for over 4.3 million jobless young people. In the United Kingdom, nearly 1 million young people are classified as NEETs, alongside skyrocketing youth unemployment rates in countries like China (16.5%) and India (17%).
The Job Hunt Reality: Surveys show that 58% of recent graduates are still searching for full-time work months after finishing school, making them three times less likely to have a secured job upon graduation than previous generations.
The Changing Value of a Degree. For the first time since data tracking began, the historical "employment premium" of a university degree is fading for young workers.
The Non-Grad Equalizer: In specific demographics—such as males aged 22 to 27—the unemployment rate for university graduates has equalized with those who never went to college.
Trade School Advantages: Workers holding vocational associate degrees in skilled trades (like plumbing or electrical work) have recently posted better employment outcomes than traditional four-year college graduates.
No comments:
Post a Comment