Himangshu Ranjan Bhuyan
(hrbhuyancolumnist@gmail.com)
Education has traditionally been celebrated as the most reliable ladder for individual advancement and collective progress. For generations, families have invested their savings, aspirations and emotional energy in the belief that education guarantees dignity, stability and opportunity. Degrees have been treated as passports to employment, respect and social mobility. Yet in contemporary India, and acutely in states like Assam, this promise is steadily collapsing. Classrooms continue to produce graduates in large numbers, but the economy struggles to absorb them meaningfully. The result is a widening and deeply troubling gap between education and employability, a crisis that now threatens social stability, economic confidence and the very credibility of the education system.
This crisis lies in a fundamental mismatch between what educational institutions teach and what the world of work demands. From early schooling to higher education, learning remains overwhelmingly examination-centric. Students are trained to reproduce information rather than to analyse, question or apply knowledge creatively. Marks and certificates are treated as the final goal, while skills such as communication, teamwork, adaptability and problem-solving are pushed to the margins. In an era where knowledge is instantly accessible, the ability to think, innovate and respond to real-life challenges has become more valuable than the ability to memorise. Unfortunately, much of formal education continues to function as if success still depends solely on recall rather than competence.
This disconnect becomes more severe in the context of rapid technological and economic change. Automation, artificial intelligence and digital platforms are reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace. Jobs are no longer static; they evolve constantly, demanding continuous learning and flexibility. Employers increasingly look for individuals who can adapt quickly, learn independently and contribute from the first day. Yet many graduates step out of universities without basic workplace readiness. They may possess theoretical knowledge, but they often lack exposure to practical environments, modern tools and professional expectations. As a result, degrees lose their value not because education is unimportant, but because it has failed to evolve with the times.
In Assam, the consequences of this failure are particularly stark. The state has expanded its educational infrastructure over the years, with growing numbers of colleges, universities and private institutions. Access to education has undoubtedly improved, and literacy levels have risen. However, economic growth has not kept pace with educational expansion. Industrial development remains limited, the private sector is narrow, and government employment opportunities are far fewer than the number of aspirants. The imbalance between the supply of educated youth and the availability of suitable jobs has created a generation caught between qualification and unemployment.
For many young people, education has become a source of anxiety rather than empowerment. After years spent in classrooms, they find themselves unprepared for the realities of the job market. Competitive examinations become the only visible path to stability, turning employment into a gamble rather than a natural outcome of learning. Repeated failures in recruitment exams often lead to frustration, self-doubt and emotional exhaustion. The psychological toll of this uncertainty is immense, particularly in a society where employment is closely tied to identity, respect and family responsibility.
Families, too, are deeply affected by this crisis. In many households, especially in rural and economically weaker sections, educating a child involves significant sacrifice. Parents invest their limited resources with the hope that education will secure the family’s future. When degrees fail to translate into livelihoods, the disappointment is collective. Education, instead of breaking cycles of poverty, sometimes reinforces them by producing educated yet economically dependent individuals.
Another critical factor intensifying the crisis is the social neglect of skill-based education. Vocational training, technical skills and hands-on professions continue to suffer from deep-rooted stigma. Academic degrees are glorified, while skilled work is often dismissed as inferior. This mindset has distorted the labour market. While thousands of graduates search desperately for office jobs, industries struggle to find trained technicians, skilled workers and service professionals. The irony is painful: unemployment exists alongside unfilled vacancies, not because of a lack of opportunities, but because of a mismatch between skills and expectations.
The unchecked proliferation of private educational institutions has further complicated the situation. Many such institutions operate more as commercial ventures than as centres of learning. Attractive advertisements promise placements and career success, drawing students into expensive courses with little practical value. Quality often takes a back seat to profit, and regulatory oversight remains weak. Students graduate burdened with debt, holding degrees that neither the market values nor employers trust. This erosion of quality has diluted the credibility of education itself.
Teachers, who should be the backbone of reform, are themselves constrained by systemic limitations. Overloaded syllabi, outdated curricula and excessive administrative responsibilities leave little room for innovation. Opportunities for professional development, industry exposure or pedagogical experimentation are limited. Expecting teachers to prepare students for a rapidly changing employment landscape without equipping them with the necessary tools is unrealistic. When teachers are reduced to facilitators of examination performance, education loses its transformative potential.
The absence of structured career guidance further deepens the crisis. Students are often pushed into conventional academic streams based on social expectations rather than aptitude or interest. Little effort is made to help them understand emerging career paths, local employment opportunities or the skills required to succeed. By the time they realise that their qualifications offer limited prospects, years have already been spent pursuing unsuitable paths. The cost of this misalignment is paid in lost time, diminished confidence and wasted potential.
Migration has emerged as one of the most visible outcomes of education without employability. Educated youth from Assam and similar regions migrate to metropolitan cities in search of work, often accepting jobs that do not match their qualifications. While migration can broaden horizons, forced migration driven by lack of local opportunities leads to exploitation, cultural dislocation and emotional stress. The state, meanwhile, loses its educated population, weakening its capacity for local development and innovation.
Beyond individual and regional impacts, the crisis carries serious social implications. A society filled with educated but unemployed youth is vulnerable to instability. Disillusionment can turn into anger, apathy or susceptibility to destructive ideologies. When education fails to deliver dignity and security, faith in institutions erodes. The social contract between the individual and the state weakens, threatening long-term cohesion and trust.
Addressing this growing crisis requires a fundamental rethinking of education’s purpose. Employability cannot be treated as an afterthought or left solely to the market. Education must integrate practical skills, real-world exposure and critical thinking into its core structure. Curricula need regular revision, aligned with changing economic realities. Partnerships between educational institutions and industries can bridge the gap between theory and practice, ensuring that learning remains relevant and dynamic.
Equally important is restoring dignity and visibility to skill-based professions. Vocational and technical education must be modernised, well-funded and socially respected. Clear career progression, fair wages and recognition can encourage youth to pursue such paths without hesitation. Local economic development is crucial in this context. Without strengthening regional industries and enterprises, even the most employability-focused education will struggle to deliver outcomes.
Teachers must be empowered as agents of change. Continuous training, exposure to new technologies and academic freedom can help them nurture adaptable and confident learners. Career guidance should become an integral part of education, enabling students to make informed decisions based on both aspiration and reality.
Ultimately, education must reconnect with its foundational promise: enabling individuals to lead productive, meaningful and dignified lives. When learning is divorced from livelihood, education becomes an empty ritual rather than a force for transformation. The crisis of education without employability is not merely an economic concern; it is a moral and social challenge. Addressing it demands honesty, urgency and a willingness to move beyond outdated notions of success. The future of an entire generation depends on whether education can once again become a bridge to opportunity rather than a road to uncertainty.
(The author is the recipient of the ‘Yuba Lekhak Sanman - 2025’ from the Government of Assam.)