After a long time, the youth has nucleated a nationwide discourse emanating from social media trails, that is centered around their shared concerns about examination, education, and employment systems in the country. The involvement of primary stakeholders in some nitty-gritty of the processes that shape them for surviving and thriving, is alltime need to strengthen those systems, nevertheless the present focus is confined to malpractices in examinations. 

It all started at a satirical note from social media due to certain remarks at apex level, and was not taken seriously by many. But the reactions and mobilization of youth through satire call for introspection so as to reason out the debilitating faith in meritocracy and the institutions. 

It is worth mentioning that the frequent collapse of examinations for admissions and employment drain the candidates along with procrastinating the effective utilization of youth energy. The delays in results, repeated conduct of exams due to irregularities surfacing out on certain occasions, pendency in recruitments, long examination cycles, etc. inculcate frustration in the aspirants and declining mental health creates other complications as well.  

Besides these, the limited number of employment opportunities in formal sector and thrust on entrepreneurship have also transformed the landscape to utilize the potential of youth. This is happening at the time when expansion in education is being remodeled in light of NEP 2020. The prescription for maximizing access to higher education has mandated the gross enrolment ratio of 50 in higher education by 2035, which Is accompanied by significant increase in capacity of higher education in both public and private sector and the concerns about the quality of education are visible. 

During the prevailing conflict between quantity vs, quality, the education need to be revamped  holistically, especially in respect to availability of worthy and qualified teaching human resource, enabling infrastructure, learning resources, and learning outcomes from it. The vicious loop of poor-quality rollouts from the education managing it in numerous instances has started showing spiraling effect and the same needs to be corrected at the earliest by raising the benchmarks, updating curriculum, and connect the qualifications to employability for ensuring the requisite quality of passing out students.  

The fast proliferation of private sector and self-financed model of education has increased the cost of education, which in turn may make it out of reach for sizeable population. Any upcoming decline in affordability of the education will not allow generational change as happened in the past, instead a class of well off people may continue getting best due to their paying capacity. The access and equity must not take the back seat in the welfare state while recasting the education system. A systemic change is essential to have level playing field and the similar type of education should be available to all those possessing comparable merit. Meritocracy should not only be preached rather it should be practiced in all pursuits.  

Alongside, a critical insight into the demand of skilled / trained / educated human resource and expectations from them is essentially required to decide the sectoral employment opportunities and availability accordingly. A nationwide plan for youth engagement is inevitable to create sector-wise mapping of demand and supply of human resource. 

In the larger interest of the nation blessed with demographic dividend, all the young voices raised for necessary corrections in the systems meant for them should catalyze the amelioration process.  It is noteworthy that despite continued efforts to improve the quality of education, the migration of students out of India for higher education could not be stopped significantly. There are educational institutions with good ranks in the ranking framework and accreditation, still there are issues regarding employability and competencies of their outcome.  Given the circumstances, the educational institutions should have open dialogue with its students and figure out the real issues seeking corrections. 

Undoubtedly, the provisions have been existing to involve youth in the functioning of education system through their representation and formation of representative student bodies like student unions, student forums, etc. But, over a period of time, the active participation of students in raising their concerns for improving the education system has been declining gradually and the indifferent attitude of students towards the functioning of higher educational institutions (HEIs) has not augured well neither for students and not for HEIs in the past. Massification of HEIs should not be looked as for meeting GER targets and confer degrees; rather their role in building up knowledge and competencies in youngsters needs resurrection. 

Way forward

With the consolidation of youth happening over their sufferings, it is not the time to ignore their issues. Instead, a constructive dialogue and proactive communication with them is the recipe for harnessing their potential. 

Frequent breaches of integrity in processes related to their assessment such as favoritism, corruption, delays, absence of timelines, etc. whether for employment or for regular examinations in education are worrisome, These must be taken care with utmost sincerity by deployment of people with impeccable integrity and proven clean records for bringing fairness in the systems and restore faith for progressive society. Simultaneously, the experimentation in the education system should be based only upon wholesome involvement of all stakeholders and ground zero conditions, because the basics of education do not change much and it cannot be sustainable with top down approach. 

At the same time a stratified model for gradually pulling the youth out of the education system by deploying them for their contribution to economy at varying age groups must be thought. A proper model for exit of students for job as per their abilities is essential at every level of formal education system. Those aspiring for higher education ought to be evaluated for suitability, to avoid the massive numbers of higher degree holders without sufficient competencies. 

Moreover, all senior members of the society should practice desired restraint in their expressions towards youngsters, and the inflammatory language should be completely avoided. It should not be forgotten that they are our future and need to be brought into mainstream seamlessly without hurting ego of anyone.

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