Two key areas to focus on for employment in the New Year

Once we change the mindset that employment means only a government job, there will be no shortage of work, and smiles will return to every household — Harsha Mohan Sarma

From our education system, the youth who pass examinations—only about one per cent of them—manage to secure employment through government jobs. Even today, we regard government service as a priceless jewel. It is time for young men and women to give up the notion that government jobs alone are the path to employment. In the new year, there is hope that the government will introduce realistic entrepreneurship schemes for the youth. Entrepreneurship does not merely mean opening a few shops and doing business. In almost every sphere of our daily lives, there is a shortage of skilled manpower. If our youth receive skill-based training in these areas, they can become self-employed and lay the foundation for a dignified life.

The meaning of entrepreneurship is broad, but ordinary people have not yet fully understood it. Since our society has still not freed itself from feudal mindsets, there exists a deep-rooted belief that people with government jobs are better or more knowledgeable. The responsibility of freeing society from this notion lies with the government and with socially respected leaders and intellectuals. They must convey to the grassroots level that all professions in society deserve equal respect. The social status of a hard-working farmer or an honest businessperson is no less than that of a top-level officer. The day we change our mentality of judging social status based on official rank, people will stop obsessing over jobs and will be motivated to take up all kinds of work. In developed countries, the number of people who choose entrepreneurship is far greater than those who merely seek government jobs. Once the mindset of creating jobs replaces the mindset of searching for jobs, the menace of unemployment will gradually disappear.

In the new year, we must also foster a professional outlook toward sports. Soon after assuming office, Assam’s Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma suggested that every police station in the state should form a football team. The Chief Minister’s innovative thinking deserves appreciation. However, clarity is needed on whether these teams will be formed from police personnel or local youth. Moreover, instead of limiting this initiative to football alone, if teams in various sports are formed, Assam will be able to produce many world-class athletes in the near future. If local youth can be attracted toward sports, society will become more disciplined, and many youths who are drifting astray may find new purpose in life. At the international level, sports can greatly enhance a nation’s reputation. Today, Brazil and Argentina are globally recognised largely because of football.

Assam is naturally endowed with an environment suitable for various sports. Climatically, different games can be played here throughout the year. Yet, the environment to take up sports as a career has not developed in Assam. The few international-level athletes produced from the state have succeeded largely due to their own hard struggle. Only after they achieve national or international recognition do they receive overwhelming government and non-government felicitations. In some cases, excessive felicitations have even dimmed the careers of promising athletes. This is a great loss not only for the athletes but also for the country.

If sports are given importance in every police station as well as every school in Assam, the future of the state will be bright. Almost all the international-level athletes from Assam have emerged from rural backgrounds. Yet, rural areas still lack proper sports infrastructure. The condition of school playgrounds is deplorable. Although the government recently sanctioned twenty lakh rupees for the development of school playgrounds, little improvement is visible due to contractor-driven execution. Reports have also emerged of misappropriation of funds by some principals, headmasters and education officials. So far, there is no visible monitoring mechanism to ensure proper utilization of sanctioned funds.

Along with inadequate playground facilities, there is a severe shortage of sports teachers and coaches in Assam’s schools. There are over four thousand government high schools in the state, but only 346 physical instructors and 15 coaches are currently employed. With such a small number of trainers for so many schools, how can proper sports education be imparted? One sports instructor is often attached to three or four schools, making it impossible to work with focus in any single institution or to produce notable athletes. A sports instructor’s primary responsibility is to identify sporting talent among students and guide them from school-level to inter-school, district and inter-district competitions. Is it realistically possible for one instructor to do this effectively across multiple schools?

As mentioned earlier, most sports talent in Assam and India emerges from rural areas. Since villages lack proper sports infrastructure, schools are the only factories for producing athletes. It is in schools that students get opportunities to develop their talents. Unfortunately, sports are treated merely as a nominal part of the school curriculum. Otherwise, how can such an important subject remain without dedicated teachers in every school? Recently, under the Government of India’s ‘Khelo India’ scheme, various initiatives have been undertaken across the country to attract youth toward sports. The Assam government has also allocated Rs 143.11 crore in the 2021–22 budget to improve sports infrastructure. We hope that the “Khelo India” scheme does not remain a mere showpiece and that the sports budget allocated by the Assam government does not end up in the pockets of contractors, middlemen, officials, and employees. Every rupee should be spent on creating quality athletes.

In an Assam burdened with unemployment, sports can become a strong foundation for employment. For this, the government must prepare a realistic roadmap. First, sports infrastructure in rural areas must be strengthened. Then, one sports instructor should be appointed in every government school. Sports instructors should be rewarded based on the number of quality athletes they produce from their respective schools. Along with inter-school competitions, competitive sports events should be organized at the panchayat level to identify talent. A sound sports policy must be formulated, and its implementation should be regularly monitored. Every government educational institution must have a playground with the minimum necessary facilities.

In this regard, the goodwill and active involvement of the state’s Sports Minister and the Secretary of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department can significantly contribute to producing many national and international athletes. Honouring athletes who rise through their own efforts and ensuring their proper employment is commendable and unobjectionable. But if the government sincerely focuses on athlete development, it will not only build a healthy and strong generation but also enhance the dignity and reputation of the nation at the global level.

Once we change the mindset that employment means only a government job, there will be no shortage of work, and smiles will return to every household.

(The writer can be reached at harshasarma183@gmail.com.)