In India, we lack practical knowledge and have poor social skills. As a result, we either find students with high grades with poor skills or sometimes we find students with poor grades and no social skills. A mix of both is rare in India, or usually they are the kids from highly privileged class or people from upper middle class background. 

The syllabus in our schools are usually too daunting to memorize and thus leaving us with little mental space to cultivate a habit of chasing one’s passion or dream project. Often our school syllabus has nothing to do with the skills that employers or companies ask for in the interview. 

So where did our education system fail us?

For example, computer science is not all about coding, coding is part of that which further helps us create a website or an application. What is depressing is that instead of teaching “why’s’ ‘ our classroom’s teaching often jumps directly to the subject, hence making students too unenthusiastic about the subject. 

To build a fine personality and be job ready we all need skills such as Social Skills, Conversational Skills, Professional and Personal Skills, Skills based on talents, Management Skills,  etc. But however, you don’t become job ready because of your school, it is our society where we live and the culture in our schools that make someone so confident in real life.  

In India, lack of financial knowledge and curiosity to learn more is still lagging, which is why many people have the courage to dream, but struggle to make it happen, because of lack of funds.  

According to the 2021 statistics, around 7% of poor families were not able to afford education. This is leading to the loss of great talent across the nation. But education is not the only pathway to greatness, India has a rich diverse culture and our art and craft can help an Indian to make a profession out of that. 

Not only this, cricketers like Harbhajan Singh come from rural households of Punjab, but because of his cricketing skills he has made a name for himself. 

But what is the value of education, if there are no jobs? 

A huge number of students get graduation degrees but have no jobs, and sometimes not even internships which require a level of skill set. But things are changing for good; today we have the course-era, Udemy, that provides various courses at affordable prices. Students must explore these opportunities anyhow. 

The data of statista.com shows the unemployment of students from various graduation degrees between 2023-24. That included BA (47.11% unemployment in 2024), and MA in Business (71.16% respectively). 

Also, the skills such as Social Skills, Conversational Skills, Professional and Personal Skills, Skills based on talents, Management Skills, are the crucial building blocks in the development of the character and personality of an individual. 

There are many government’s schemes and initiatives for skill development such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Udaan, andIndia International Skill Centers (IISC’s), but more effort is required in the field of skill development of youth that compliments the demands of the market.