Systematic reforms in social, educational sectors need of the hour

How do you think we can check the exodus of youngsters to foreign countries?

Lack of opportunities, infra prime reasons

There are no institutions providing free/affordable quality education. Even the majority of those who can afford good education from the private ‘education malls’ remain unemployed and unutilised by the state. Besides huge unemployment, unrest among underpaid, contractual teachers, para-medical workers, doctors, roadways employees, sanitary workers, etc. make our youngsters think that their only hope lies beyond Indian shores. What would they end up becoming here? The fact that our highly qualified/ skilled, semi-skilled, or even unskilled youth are all making a desperate beeline for abroad indicates that there are not enough development, infrastructure, or research activities going on in the country. Why not presume then that the state is comfortable with this exodus and the youth is also desperate to leave the homeland for the lure of greener pastures abroad. Gone are the days when brain drain was viewed as a big national problem.

HL Sharma

Focus on secondary sector to create jobs

Punjab is an agrarian state with the maximum number of people employed in the agricultural sector. This has been a great boon for the country as it has helped to tide over various crisis relating to shortage of food grains in the past. However, the agricultural sector is marred with one major problem of disguised unemployment, which means that the labour force employed in a job is not actually utilised for the production of goods and services. So many young people prefer to migrate abroad for work as they can’t find suitable jobs here. We can check this exodus by giving more importance to the industrial sector in the coming times. All of the major developed countries of the world have shifted from the agricultural sector to the industrial sector and then finally to the services sector. So, we should focus heavily on the secondary sector of the economy as this would help to absorb the major job-seekers of the state.

Jatinderpal Singh Batth

Reforms to tackle unemployment needed

Undeterred by the badly hit economic and academic curriculum all around due to Covid, the exodus of youth to study abroad goes on unabated. Barring a few genuine cases, most of the boys and girls under the garb of admissions to overseas colleges/ universities find an easy way out to realise their aim. The favourite destination countries have better infrastructure and discipline in their institutions. According to an estimate, every third student from Punjab is pursuing IELTS with a view to migrate. It is quite worrisome that even after 74 years of Independence, we have not been able to create enough opportunities for satisfactory placements of our youth. While Delta+ variant and the third wave of pandemic are in sight in many parts of the world. Despite that, the yearning for green pastures on foreign lands goes on unabated. To reverse the trend, the government is required to bring about extensive reforms to tackle unemployment and ensure congenial working climate sans exploitation.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

Improve level of quality education

Students go abroad in search of greener pastures as they feel assured that after completing their education in institutes of higher studies they would get lucrative placements and then get settled there. Covid has given rise to many apprehensions in the minds of the students who still aspire to go overseas, although there is no lack of parallel educational institutes of higher studies in India. The government is mulling over increasing the number of such institutes and also the number of seats in them to stem exodus of the students. Mere increasing the intake won’t serve the purpose as ancillary to it, the number of faculty and supporting staff and the faculty-student ratio has to be considered, along with, to give it a practical shape. The existing institutes may be scaled up through extension of the campuses. The students stuck here due to pandemic can be given lateral entry in the institutes and eminent international faculty be enrolled to lecture online. Indian industry carries a huge potential for placement of such aspirants. Its collaboration must be sought. Creating more opportunities might check their migration.

Anil Khanna

Make education system job-oriented

Youth in Punjab are hell-bent on moving abroad attracted by the top-class facilities, higher standards of life, attractive career opportunities, better educational avenues and living conditions provided by the foreign universities, companies, organisations and governments. When countries such as Australia and Canada provide top-notch facilities, handsome pay packages and perks to residents, it becomes difficult to dissuade the wannabes from going abroad. The craze to settle abroad through study visa has grown tremendously among the youth of Majha region giving two hoots to the pandemic. To check the exodus, our educational institutions need to change with the present times making students realise that openings at home are more attractive and beneficial for them than that of abroad. The entire education system should be radically overhauled to make it job-oriented. It should be more flexible to enable youngsters take up part time jobs to earn and study simultaneously. Mega job fairs have failed to fetch the desired results. Some effective measures to provide employment to the unemployed should be taken and jobs should be given as per the qualification of the job seekers. Many in Punjab find it difficult to get admission in the top institutions. The admission in premier institutions should be made easier so that the youngsters don’t hanker after foreign institutions for higher studies which are just a ruse to migrate to Australia or Canada. Scholarship opportunities should be encouraged. They should provide practical knowledge rather than slowing down students’ learning process and restricting their growth in particular study fields. Qualitatively better, cheaper education and employment generation can check the exodus.

Tarsem S Bumrah

It’s better to settle abroad for youngsters

Considering the state of economy of our country, there are fewer employment opportunities and the pandemic has further deteriorated the situation. So, the only alternative left is to go abroad for study purpose and due to abundance earning opportunities settle there permanently. What is wrong in it? Instead of remaining unemployed and becoming a liability for parents and society, it is better to settle abroad. In this way they earn for themselves and for their families left behind in India. It should not be checked rather it should be encouraged. The government should be more liberal in providing loans to study abroad. Ultimately, the government’s investment is to be returned with interest and in form of foreign exchange.

Naresh Johar

Long-term solutions are needed

Studying abroad or getting a job has more or less become the norm in Punjab. If someone thinks otherwise it’s often frowned upon. Living standard, economic conditions, government support and education are better in other countries. It is not a secret that India has been one of the worst countries at handling Covid which gives people another reason to move to a country with better ways of controlling the pandemic. With borders opening up for vaccinated people around the world, travelling to another country for work or studying is becoming more realistic. In order to check the exodus, I think we need to dig deeper into why youngsters are so eager to go abroad despite these baleful conditions. A lot of answers lie with the outdated institution, corrupt and opaque government coupled by its obsolete system. For students the unrealistic cut offs and for working people the ever so disappointing economic conditions and policies are the last straw. It is alarming to notice that despite the current hazardous scenario people still don’t think twice before making plans to move abroad, which shows that Covid doesn’t play a major role for people to stay in India. The only solution for this problem I see is a long term one, which would include revamp of the education system, development of educational infrastructure, apart from the settlement of industries in the state.

Gurjas Singh

Set up world class universities

The major factors for large scale exodus to foreign land in the pursuit of higher education among students of Punjab are joblessness and high cost of education in the country. Job placement with good perks is the prime attraction for students going abroad, the other one is easy availability of part-time job while studying. In post-Covid scenario, students opt for study only for the sake of job as classes are being held online. The government should grab this opportunity to end flow of student migration by setting up world class universities in India, provide course-linked placement, rationalise fee structure and reserve seats for economical weaker class.

Anil Vinayak

Control drug trafficking problem

While the whole world is battling with the adverse effects of Covid-19, the youth of Punjab is migrating to the West. There are various reasons behind the trend. Firstly, as a result of decline of employment opportunities the youngsters are deep in the dumps. Even after the completion of higher education, they are unable to find lucrative jobs in the state. So, they prefer to move abroad. Secondly, the social environment is not safe as there are increasing numbers of drug rackets in the state. Worried parents prefer sending their children abroad for higher studies and work. To conclude, it is the total failure of the state government to make Punjab an attraction for its youth. It should create better job opportunities and control the drug trafficking in the state, otherwise Punjab will be the land of old and unemployed.

Harsimrat Kaur

Govt should encourage youth to settle abroad

The uneconomical agriculture system, unemployment, poor law and order situation, deterioration in education system, unbridled spread of drugs, predominance of mafias, uninspiring political leadership, has brought about overall despondency and substantial decrease of faith in the government among youth. The government or society has no moral strength to tell youth not to go abroad. Rather it should facilitate them to move abroad for better living and this is the only sure way presently.

Hardish Sandhu

We need advanced education, infra

Covid has wrecked havoc on lives and livelihood. Businesses have plunged to bankruptcy and economy is in tatters. Students have borne the brunt of the pandemic as education has suffered a mammoth setback. Envisaging the huge population load in India, it will be a herculean task for any government to tackle any such pandemic in future. Even though the whole world was reeling under Covid, still they see better prospects outside in terms of corruption, politics and reservation. We need to provide a better and advanced education infrastructure. More and more job opportunities at par salary of foreign placements should be created. If such measures are taken, youngsters won’t flee to foreign lands.

Raman Gupta

Amend education, employment policies

• Before mulling ways of preventing youngsters from moving abroad, it would be advisable to find out what inspires them to continue taking this risk at the cost of their health and safety in the wake of the deteriorating Covid-19 scenario globally. Without doubt, it’s the lure of lucrative job prospects and a better life that drives them to pursue higher education abroad, while the attractive emoluments are the driving force behind the exodus of professionals to other countries
• However, with the Covid-19 scenario worsening across the globe, it is advisable to shelve these plans for now. Yet, the lure of the West is too potent to prevent youngsters from travelling abroad even in the present times. More than the locale it’s the attraction of quality education, myriad professional opportunities, attractive emoluments and the resultant good life that entices them to move abroad
• The government should make efforts to bring all of these and much more to India to prevent the drain of young talent through emigration to other countries during Covid-19 and thereafter too by amending its educational and employment policies so that the youth can find better avenues for the fulfilment of their dreams right within India.

Shaheen Parshad

QUESTION

The onset of monsoon has again exposed the lack of preparedness on the part of the MC as several areas get inundated causing great hardships to residents. Should the civic authorities be taken to task for their negligence and indifferent attitude towards public issues?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to amritsardesk@tribunemail.comby Thursday (August 5)