Like most of you, I subscribe to multiple on-line communities, most of which are Yahoogroups. One such group was formed recently by a few graduates of the Assam Agricultural University (AAU), my alma mater, and has become very popular among AAU graduates of old and young. Topics discussed in this AAU forum range from saying hello to debates on serious topics. I’m afraid this article with its origin in the AAU forum is of the serious kind. Regardless of the educational background, however, this issue applies to all Assamese and that is why I want to share it with the rest of the community. IÆll try to express my opinion in a more general way with the AAU as background. Here’s the genesis of this article: about mid-February, 2006, an AAU graduate from Guwahati wrote that he and other AAU graduates were “lured” to AAU by the government promising jobs after graduation, and now they were either unemployed or underemployed and that the government must take corrective measures, i.e., provide jobs, etc. The writer goes on to say that instead of spending four years in the AAU pursuing a bachelor’s degree, he could have attended a local college in his village/town and could have had the same job prospect as an AAU graduate. The argument went on to say that it was entirely the governmentÆs fault to have misled scores of young people and that the government must make amends by providing jobs to all AAU graduates and so on.
I found faults with the arguments above and here’s why (and I wrote to the AAU forum where the debate continues). First of all, I don’t recall Assam Government or any other government luring or even promising jobs after graduation to agrarians (or in other fields) when I was a student at AAU-Jorhat! I bet no one can truthfully say that he was promised a job by the government when he joined his bachelor’s program regardless of the field of study. In any case, the notion that the government should or would provide jobs to its educated masses is a pass US in a market-oriented economy which IndiaÆs is slowly but surely becoming since its liberalization in 1991. As the Indian economy grows, the public sector will shrink significantly in the next few decades as products and services that are currently provided by the government will be regularly provided by the private sector. In the process, those who prepare themselves with education and skills that fit the needs of the economy will prosper and those who don’t will lose. This trend has its roots in development economics and India is not going to be an exception. Given this inevitable outcome in near future, waiting for the government to provide jobs in such an economy would be a bad idea! Thus, the best way to prepare the future generations is to provide an education so that they can compete in Asom and beyond, even in the world stage, and not expect their government to provide them with jobs when they finish their undergraduate degrees. If the stage is not yet set for such changes in the connections between education, jobs and the government, time may have come for an open discussion on reforming the bachelorÆs and postgraduate education levels in Assam.
One of the downsides of an economic restructuring is people losing jobs left and right; this is a very politically sensitive issue (as we experience here in the USA in the last few years as jobs are lost to India, China, and Mexico, etc.). But such job loss is in fact an economic issue and needs to be explained in terms of economics, i.e., in terms of benefit-cost and welfare of the overall economy, by the leading intellectuals, the media, and political leadership instead of making it into a political issue. In the USA, the overall majority is convinced that the economic benefits outweigh the political costs and thus, despite domestic opposition from some groups, outsourcing of jobs, services, and manufacturing continues and will continue. Unfortunately side effects include economic losers and winners, but it is inevitable in this day and age of one-world economy. However, the hard landing can be softened by support from the government and the private sector that is reaping the benefits of globalization and increased efficiency.
Skill reorientation or retraining generally becomes necessary for those who lose job when the economy restructures, and that’s where government should provide the necessary resources. For instance, time has come for every district in Assam to have state employment offices (funded by the government) where those looking for jobs can get help in retraining in the skills needed to get jobs as well as get linked to job opportunities around the state and the nation. Instead of spending tons of money by creating new districts every few years and increasing the bureaucracy and red tape, the government should focus on investing in economic and social infrastructures that have long-term benefits. Losing a high paying job due to a layoff and getting into a low paying job just to survive financially is nothing new, but it helps when there is external support. For instance, the government can provide unemployment benefits (monetary) for a short period of time while the person is looking for a job. Such economic support infrastructures may become part of the national and state development programs directed towards the poor and made a permanent part of government’s overall economic growth and development programs. Additionally, government-sponsored programs targeted at those left out by the economic boom (particularly those in rural areas and in the urban fringe) will be necessary so long as there is blatant poverty in India.
Assam ranks almost at the top as one of the most corrupted states in India; that says a lot about our leaders, bureaucrats, and technocrats, and how they are providing disservice to the people of Assam. Although in the past the Center has been very negligent towards the NE part of India, in the last decade or so there has been a tremendous flow of resources, monetary or otherwise, to the NE India in general and Assam, in particular. Unfortunately, factors such as corruption, myopic view of leaders, over-focus on North East’s primate city Guwahati, division and infighting along ethnic lines to the delight of politicians of all stripes, selfishness, a lethargic bureaucracy, etc., have resulted in resources not reaching the needy people and areas. Among the worst sufferers of this state of sad affairs include the educational institutions, particularly those in the public education system starting at the primary level, the poor who are working hard to put food into their mouths everyday, those without proper education and access to health care, women and children without family and home, and the list goes on. So, it is not only the fault of the Center, which is being used as a scapegoat by politicians and non-politicians alike, that is responsible for problems facing Asom in general and the educated unemployed or underemployed in particular. It is our leaders, bureaucrats, and technocrats who are lacking a sense of accountability and personal and moral responsibility. Anyplace where these leaders of the society rise above the pettiness and selfishness and show personal and moral responsibility and accountability, those places rise and shine - we are still waiting for that (miracle) to happen in Assam! My humble and earnest hope is that such turnaround in the hearts and minds of the Assamese leadership is not far away! Caution û such turnaround cannot come through the barrel of a gun, it must be through a democratic process, albeit a faulty process.
Asom has also been missing out on investment from outside (outside Asom or outside India) mainly due to the never-ending political unrest that started in the late 70s. Just think for a second - why would an outside investor invest in Assam if he/she is subjected to the plethora of uncertainties brought in daily by numerous Asom bandhs (which seemed have lost their meaning and impact and has become barriers to development), constant threats of violence and extortions and the like, and the heavy uncertainty that goes along with such an environment. As India grows into a developed economy over next 50 years, the future for jobs will be in the service sector, including the financial, technical, and scientific communities, and the reliance on both primary (i.e., agriculture, fisheries, and forestry) and the public sectors will decline to only few percentage of the national economy. And if, and it is a big IF, the socio-political and bureaucratic environments do not change soon, Assam and places like Assam will remain at the bottom of the development ladder.
It is heartening to note that there are AAU graduates who are leaders in various IT (information technology) fields across India and these graduates didn’t have IT as their area of specialization at AAU (such specialization does not even exist!). Like many young and driven people around the world today, these agrarians took charge of their own destiny by retraining themselves or by completing further studies and shaped their careers instead of waiting for the government to provide them with jobs. Of course, there is risk in such ventures which requires risk taking ability, but calculated risks generally lead to gainful rewards. Just look around you- there are plenty of examples around you.
As for those of us who are living and working abroad, we do have responsibilities and we can and should do something about our brethren in Asom. Such deeds can be directed towards your alma mater, or the primary or high school you attended, or anything that would improve the education and employment prospects in Assam. We may take such actions as individuals or as a group (formal or otherwise). Many among us are already doing something no matter how small or large the work may be, and I sincerely hope others would follow suit. Let’s not forget our birthplace – the Assam of our dreams!
by SANJIB BHUYAN
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