When Masters Degree and PhD Holders Applied to Become Peons

Educated youth of Haryana with Masters Degree and PhDs is applying for government jobs of peons and gardeners. What made them take this step and why there is a lack of good government job opportunities for these qualified candidates? Read our exclusive report from Haryana. 

Grabbing a government job in Haryana is no less than winning a medal in Olympics. For the 18,000 Category IV posts ; peon, gardener advertised by Haryana Government, over 18 lakh applicants had turned up to take tests on November 18.

The minimum qualification for these posts is matriculation or senior secondary. However, candidates with Masters degrees and PhDs were seen in a large number for the tests.

Pushpa Saini, 24, who is masters in political science from Maharshi Dayanand University spent eight hours every day to crack the exam of Sub-Inspector in Haryana police.

“I am under immense pressure from my parents to get a job and settle in life. Their argument that they had exhausted all of their resources on my study makes me desperate to find a job of any nature,” sais Pushpa, who lives in Rohtak city.

Youngest of five siblings including three sisters, Pushpa said that it was not a matter of doing an officer level job or a peon job, the important thing is to get a job in the government sector.

A fight to get a government job at any cost

“Private sector exploits the youth. Good government jobs are in scarcity and that is why candidates like me end up applying for any kind of government job available,” she said. Pushpa had completed her MA in 2018. Pushpa sat in Group D exam at Ambala.

Reena Devi, 36, from Jind who is post-graduate in Hindi and also holds PG Diploma in Computer Application from MDU Rohtak, said that she was in race for Class IV posts. “We are at crossroads; either bend to stand in queue for class IV jobs or remain unemployed for lifetime,” she said.

“I sat for my entrance test of PhD at MDU Rohtak and on next day, I had to sit for peon test at Chandigarh,” she said.

Reena said that high degrees don’t get a government job but political connection certainly can land someone a permanent job. “I have applied in about 50 jobs in the hope of getting a government job from Class 1 to Class IV posts but failed in last five years,” Reena added. She completed her Post Graduate in 2017.

Twenty-nine-year-old Rajbala Devi from Fatehabad, a post-graduate from Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa in 2013, said that the number of applicant for peon posts is 100 times more than the total available posts.

“Sometime, I think, it is easy to win gold medal in Olympics than getting a job in government sector”, she said.

Rajbala said that her efforts of sitting in tests right from clerical level to peon tests in all previous years went in vain. Sharing plight of candidates like her who appeared for the test at Panipat, she said that all the buses, trains were occupied to their capacity on test days. This results in the journey becoming difficult and more expensive.

She said that candidates like her have to face a double whammy as they often travel 200kms from their home to sit in tests by braving crowded buses, trains on test day. “It’s a cruel joke with unemployed youth”, she added.

The candidates maintained that they were ready to undergo any ordeal provided if they are ensured a government job of any class.

Way Out

Professor Ranbir Singh, who is a fellow at Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, said that it was a worrisome trend throughout the country but it has turned complex due to the agriculture crises.

“Rural youth doesn’t want to engage in agriculture and end up hankering for jobs after availing good degrees. It is a sad and alarming trend where the agriculture crisis is making the job market desperate. Youth is ready to work at any cost,” Singh said.

A retired professor from Kurukshetra Univesity, Professor Singh said that the only way out is by making agriculture profitable, promotion of small scale industries, and incentives to those indulging in self-employment.

Comrade Inderjit Singh who is a social activist said that the educated youth coming out in hordes to take a test for peon jobs has left deep impact of bitter truth on all of society. It was high time to address the agony of educated yet unemployed youth before it explodes by making changes in neo-liberal policies.

Photos: Sat Singh Dhankhar

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