Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Unemployment; barrier to national development

BY BIMAL GAUTAM

Unemployment is one of the serious problems for national development. The national development plans as conceived so far have failed to provide adequate solution. In almost every five-year plan, the government has been attaching great importance on the problem of unemployment. But in spite of the fact that nine plans have been completed by new, the unemployment problem continues to be as grave as ever. Thousands of unemployed youths have been suffering from this problem, though they are not only matriculates and graduates but even post graduates including those fully qualified and trained ones. In fact, over the years, the national unemployment problem has become almost intractable. There is no doubt that with the growth of the Maoist activities it is becoming a better option for unemployed youths, qualified manpower and even the uneducated youths of villages.

Unemployment in Nepal is of varying kinds and degrees. A large number of people are completely jobless. They keep knocking from pillar to post in search of petty jobs, but wherever they go they are faced with the relentless 'no vacancy ' signboards. Most of the people in this category are educated and belong to the urban areas. But three-fourth of the unemployed populations get their sustenance from land and they are half employed. On account of the nature of their work, they have to remain idle for one-third of the year. Loss in terms of man-hours thus suffered is colossal indeed. These farmers can be called unemployed or seasonally employed. There are also people who, for want of jobs compatible with their talent and capacity, have to accept meager- salaried clerical jobs. Since they are not considered unemployed, accurate statistics in their case cannot be made available, but their numbers ought to exceed the number of unemployed.

Several things are responsible for accentuating this problem, the most conspicuous among them being over population of the nation. The population of Nepal is around 23 million and is rapidly increasing. Whatever is achieved in terms of job creation is said at not by fresh hands seeking employment.

Nepal is still an underdeveloped country. It is usually; described as a rich country inhabited by poor people. This means Nepal is a rich in natural resources, but these need proper utilization. There is still great scope for expansion in all fronts. Large tracts are still lying barren. They could be brought under cultivation. More dams could be built, more electricity generated. Roads leading to the villages are slushy and dusty; they could be tarred. Most of the villages are still engulfed in darkness, which could be electrified. A large number of villagers lack fundamentals amenities. They need schools, hospitals, dispensaries, libraries, community centers and other facilities. All these can provide jobs to millions of youths.

Lack of technical and vocational education along with distaste for manual labor is also responsible for unemployment. Our education should be job-oriented. The so-called liberal education that we impart in our universities produces snobs only. There seems to be a lack of co-ordination between planning in technical education and industrial expansion. On account of large scale industrialization and the introduction of computerized system at various jobs, a good deal of redundancy has resulted. The nation needs someone with prophetic vision to correlate industrial development with plants for professional training.

Unemployment leads into tragic consequences. It breeds frustration among some, discontent among others. It has forced people to join the Maoist movement and is responsible for the present situation. It is also responsible for the undernourishment of our children, poor living standards and poor educational and medical facilities. It requires a huge effort to solve the problems and we shall have to change our perspective completely in future plans.

We have to check the rapid population growth. Unless this is achieved, no plan can yield a desired result. We shall have to revise our educational policies and give an entirely different base to our education. We shall have to correlate and coordinate various programs. The university syllabus will have to be revised to match the needs of the country. Our industrial policy deserves a fresh look. At this juncture of our development, as we step into the twenty-first century, it would look ridiculous to argue against large industries. But the government must provide a shield for cottage industries so that it can continue to provide jobs to millions of unemployed youths.

Our unemployed youths should also change their attitudes. They will have to give up their infatuation with white -collar jobs. There is enough employment for all who will work honestly with their hands and feet. God has given everyone the capacity to work and earn more than his daily bread and whosoever is ready to use that capacity is sure to find work. No labor is mean for one who works to earn honest money. The government should also avoid corruption and it should give the right opportunity to unemployed youths in order to establish peace in the country. This barrier must be thrown out of the way of national development with better policies and their implementation in a better way.