Outstanding results in higher education do not guarantee a good job for graduates in Bangladesh, according to a study of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
The BIDS study reveals as many as 28 to 34 per cent of the students remain jobless despite obtaining first class in honors and masters. 75 per cent of those able to manage a job are paid below Tk 40,000 a month.
The BIDS research led by its director general KAS Murshid was conducted through social media.
As many as 618, 262 youth were sent the questionnaire. Only 15,025 of them responded.
The study says one third of the educated youth is unemployed. The unemployment rate is higher among the graduates.
Unemployment rate high among the meritorious
According to BIDS findings, unemployment rate is over 33 per cent among the educated youth. The rate is 19 to 34 per cent among those who secured first division in SSC, HSC and first class in honors and masters. 34.4 per cent of those who got first class in masters are unemployed while the rate is 28 per cent among those who obtained first class in honors.
Meanwhile, one in every 3 students who got GPA-5 in SSC failed to get any job. 31 per cent of the highest grade achievers in HSC are unemployed.
According to International Labour Organisation (ILO), those who do not get at least one hour's work for earning in a week are unemployed. According to this definition, there are 2.7 million unemployed people in our country.
Noted economist Zahid Hussain told Prothom Alo, “It’s frustrating that a student with master’s degree can’t get a job with Tk 10,000 salary. They don’t get preferred job or they simply don’t have the degree according to market demands. As a result, the investment the society and the state made for their education goes in vain. Thus we are losing educated labour force.”
Low salary
Of the students with first class in masters, only 25.49 per cent get more than Tk 40,000 a month and 10 per cent of them do not even get Tk 10,000 a month. The rest 65 per cent are paid between Tk 10,000 to Tk 40,000.
Two thirds of those who obtained second class in master are paid between Tk 10,000 and Tk 30,000.
The BIDS research also shows that 45 per cent of the master’s degree holders with over 3.5 Cumilative Grade Point Average (CGPA) get more than Tk 40,000 as monthly salary.
Some 24.59 per cent of the students with first class in honors get more than Tk 40,000 a month. 70 per cent of them get between Tk 10,000 and Tk 40,000 and 5 per cent even do not get Tk 10,000 a month. 39 per cent of the students with CGPA more than 3.50 in honors get over Tk 40,000.
Zahid Hussain said academic results are not the only criteria of better job but students with higher results get priority in getting job. In later career, promotion and salary hike depends on how the employee is performing in jobs. He said students with higher academic achievements expect better jobs but they get frustrated when things do not go according to their expectations.
When Asked, BIDS DG KAS Murshid said, "Our education system is not suitable for job market."
He said they are doing detailed research on capacity and capability of whole job market of Bangladesh. More information would be revealed through that research.-Prothom Alo
