IF 16 years of education cannot get someone employment even at the most basic level, what are our degrees good for? When I completed my bachelor`s, my peers were already talking about getting a master`s degree. Only a few were able to obtain jobs in the private sector, while the rest decided to pursue higher studies.

Almost all of my seniors told me that higher education did nothing to ensure one`s market compatibility. It is so unfortunate that students spend thousands on attaining professional degrees, especially in the fields of law, medicine and engineering, but most end up in odd positions or set up their own small businesses because they do not find relevant jobs in their fields. Every few years, some government or the other promises to create millions of jobs for fresh graduates, but the words end up being millions of lies.

The policymakers need to take measures to upgrade our conventional modes of education and employment, both of which are outdated in most instances. Graduates, when they enter the job market, are caught unawares by the professional requirements they encounter.

Little wonder, then, that many young people prefer to move abroad for greener pastures. This is heart-wrenching, for me at least, that our beloved homeland has failed to provide us with opportunities, and that we find ourselves out of options.

Nimra Anjum Faisalabad