Is the UPSC Exam a Reason for Youth Unemployment?
In India, the craze for the UPSC exams is at an all-time high, with many graduates seeing exam preparation as the easiest alternative to job hunting. “80% of unemployed people are the ones who are preparing for government exams”, said Saloni Khanna, a UPSC interviewer and founder of Skill Up Foundation, on the Raj Shamani Podcast. UPSC aspirants often share that it takes about 7 months to prepare for the exams, though some may spend years trying to crack it. Enter PadhAI, an AI app that can reportedly score over 170 out of 200 marks in the 2024 UPSC preliminary exams within just 7 minutes. Additionally, PAiGPT, an AI-powered conversational chatbot for UPSC aspirants, has recently released its app for Android and iOS. In light of these advancements, dedicating months to prepare for an exam might soon seem outdated. Education System Needs a Revamp Recently, a Computer Science graduate voiced his frustration on Reddit. “I’m about to graduate with a CS degree and have never used a “library”, “framework”, or “API”, and am not really sure what they are.” This sentiment highlights the stark reality of how the youth remains unprepared. According to the India Employment Report 2024, 83% of unemployed Indians are youth. Despite a surge in higher education enrollments, the quality of education remains a significant concern. Critics argue that outdated curricula in Indian colleges fail to meet industry requirements, creating a big gap between what students learn and the skills they need for the job market. Back in 2015, esteemed scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee CNR Rao stated that 90% of Indian universities have outdated curricula, contributing to the country’s absence from the top 100 global universities list. As per the report by the World Population Review, India ranked 34th globally in the quality of education system. Source: World Population Review Further, these factors may be driving Indian students to pursue higher education abroad. According to Bureau of Immigration statistics, only 40,431 foreign students came to India for higher studies in 2023, while 7,65,000 Indian students went abroad for studies. Redefining the Indian Education System Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen highlighted a trend: many young Indian professionals are choosing to stay in India rather than move to the US. This shift is due to the increasing opportunities and a robust startup ecosystem that India now offers. “If I was graduating right now, I’m not sure I would come to the US”, said Adobe Narayen in an interview. Education in India may not necessarily define attending college. Innovations in hiring practices reflect this transformation. Vishnu Vardhan, CEO of Vizzhy Inc., recently hired a Grade 9 student from Belgaum, emphasising talent over formal degrees. Another example, Izam Mohammed, became an AI/ML engineer without attending college, acquiring skills through online resources. He developed a Python library for evaluating RAG models, securing a position in the industry at 18. Some Quora and Reddit users believe the internet provides a lot of learning material to enhance AI skills. They argue that individuals can acquire knowledge virtually on any topic from the comfort of their homes. While industry leaders like IBM’s Matthew Candy support this trend, stating that advancements in AI will democratise product creation, enabling individuals to innovate without extensive coding knowledge. These examples indicate a broader acceptance of non-traditional education routes in India, signalling a shift in the country’s education and employment landscape.
“80% of unemployed people are the ones who are preparing for government exams.”
“80% of unemployed people are the ones who are preparing for government exams.”
["AI (Artificial Intelligence)", "AI Tool"]
["Go", "API", "AI", "ML", "RAG", "Python", "Ray", "GPT", "Rust", "AI Tool", "R", "AI (Artificial Intelligence)"]
["AI", "ML", "Ray", "RAG", "Python", "R", "Go", "Rust", "API", "GPT"]
Vidyashree is enthusiastic about investigative journalism. Now trying to explore how AI solves for all.