Youth are not only the future; they are the present

My family has always believed that the foundation of our future is only as strong as the education of our next generation. This belief has resulted in the many well-educated youth in the clan: Aishwarya, my daughter, is just graduating from NYU, with a degree in Business Technology Management. Swathi Prabhakar, my brother’s daughter, has secured a Diploma in International Baccalaureate with stellar grades, and is moving to Canada later this year for higher studies. My nephew, with a master’s from the prestigious INSEAD France, and my niece, with a master’s in real estate from NUS Singapore, are already young entrepreneurs, who did some impactful work during the pandemic.

Regardless of their domains and aspirations, my advice to them is the same: empower change, give back to society, and support your peers. I stress on the “support” aspect because, globally, the unemployment rate among youth is at an all-time high. There are nearly two billion young people in the world today – the highest numbers in history. This “demographic dividend” – the economic growth potential when the working-age population is large – was supposed to be advantageous, but it is turning into a problem, especially in the developing world, where 90% of these youth live. And to make matters worse, the pandemic has disrupted the education of 73%⁽¹⁾ of them.

The status quo of Indian youth

Around 65% of India’s population falls below the age group of 35 — which roughly translates to 900 million! So, going by the “demographic dividend” logic, India’s potential should have been endless. But the nation is grappling with an unemployment crisis, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak. Youth unemployment rate in India increased to 34.7%⁽²⁾ in the second quarter of 2020. But, is this the pandemic problem alone? No – in fact, on the contrary, it is a systemic problem.

It is a problem that has to do with some of the entrenched notions that we harbor, including how we see the “youth”. We always attribute them with the “future”, without addressing the current, pressing needs, like, say, their education. The “employability” of Indian youth has seen drastic decline in recent years. And by one estimate⁽³⁾, the number of people who are neither working nor looking for work, nor undergoing education or training, accounted for 100.2 million in India. Such figures are, simply put, alarming.

Why do we, then, color ourselves surprised when we see increased crime rates? While the world is pivoting to virtual ways, vying for continuity, the vast majority of students in India lack access to technology, internet, and digital tools. Under this scenario, any policy-led attempt at remote education is bound to fail. And the youth, who are supposedly our “future”, have no choice but to relegate themselves to household chores and petty, menial jobs to provide for their families, while their education and upskilling take a backseat.

But it doesn’t end there. The pandemic is pandering to social inequalities in India, especially affecting young girls, whose education anyway faces so many hurdles. There has been a significant increase in child marriages⁽⁴⁾ – usually underage girls married to older men – during the pandemic. Many talent individuals are thus lost forever, to practices that have no place in contemporary society, but yet are very much alive and thriving lately.

The plausible solutions

So, what we need are critical interventions at the intersection of education and social-economic backdrop. The multi-state, multi-board education system is no longer conducive to what India can achieve with its youth population. To this effect, the more student-centric and flexible system that the National Education Policy 2020 promises is indeed welcome. Aimed at balancing theoretical and practical learning, it could give students the opportunity to pursue their passion, excel in their domain of choice, and become highly employable. But I fear that this system could also run the risk of education further becoming a commodity. So, before the proposed law takes shape, policy makers must define the bounds of privatization and public education, ensuring that quality education is both inclusive and affordable.

If we get it right, we still stand the chance of unlocking massive value from the younger generation. But where does this leave the currently unemployed youth? We need to create millions of new jobs every month to insulate the youth from unemployment. Although a herculean task, it is not impossible with multi-stakeholder participation. The government must facilitate digitization and foster startup culture. And the onus falls on apex bodies like NITI Aayog, which must conduct extensive on-the-ground research to determine root causes of youth unemployment and address them. Most importantly, the well-educated youth should form support networks, mobilize the youth from the grassroots, and strive for change – which is my constant plea to the ones in my family and extended circles.