As soon as students are done with their Intermediate or A-level exams, they are faced with a dilemma – that of choosing the right career. This is difficult because several things, such as financial resources, chances of growth and future opportunities must be considered before choosing a career. Even after considering all such factors, making a career choice in Pakistan is not easy, says Salman Abideen, a visiting faculty member at various engineering universities, business and media schools in Karachi.

"One cannot pre-determine a career in a place like Pakistan where in the late 90s, with the advent of computers, information technology (IT) emerged as a rewarding career," he told Kolachi. Abideen added that it is difficult to choose a career earlier on because children are required to choose either commerce or science during Matriculation, which means that they cannot switch their field of study later in life.

Moreover, the economic conditions keep on changing, which means that what was considered lucrative six years ago may not be as rewarding anymore. Consider Muhammad Adil, for example, who enrolled in the Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) programme at the University of Karachi (KU) in 2000. "Back then, IT was still a new field and I hoped to get a good job once I graduated," said Adil. However, a lot changed in four years that followed with the result that when Adil graduated, he was unable to find a job despite having a decent grade point average (GPA). "So I ended up teaching at a private university," he explained.

There are many others like Adil who chose a particular field of study given the promise it showed initially only to find the job market completely saturated after graduation. Thus, several such graduates decided to teach when they were unable to find the 'perfect' job. So what is the 'right' career choice for a student in this day and age?

"All studies related to media and communication are the future of the world, but their utility still remains to be seen," explained Abideen. The recent boom in electronic media -- the advent of FM radio stations and TV channels – is testament to the fact that the professions related to media and communication are full of opportunities. Reporters, copy writers , news anchors, research analysts, producers, photographers, non-linear editors and film-makers are just a few of the endless opportunities available with regard to this particular field of study.

However, spending four years to get a degree in media may not be useful at all. Mansur Mujahid, a student of Media Sciences at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Karachi, believes that the electronic media industry in Pakistan has its own rules – the kind of rules that no one will teach you at a university. "We spend four precious years of our life in a media school while studying subjects related to media sciences and film-making but to become a part of the industry, we have to forget what we learnt in university and just do what we are told," he told Kolachi. Mujahid and his batch mates have set up a production house of their own because they believe that whatever they have learnt in four years will be of no use unless they have a platform of their own.

While some professions may have been saturated given the onslaught of fresh graduates related to that field, medicine and engineering remain surprisingly unaffected by the socio-economic conditions of the country. As far as medicine is concerned, there aren't enough doctors to go around in the country, what with one nurse for every 4,000 people in Pakistan. Every year, thousands graduate from different private and government medical colleges but the demand for doctors keeps increasing. "In Pakistan, all a doctor requires is a degree and a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) certification. After that, you are allowed to run your own clinic," Dr Salman Siddiqui, a teacher of Community Medicine at Government Medical College told Kolachi. He further added that actually doing MBBS is not a piece of cake, it is by far the most difficult form of education but at the end of it you have great opportunities domestically and internationally.

Mustafa Mahmood a final year MBBS student believes that the field of medicine has evolved with time, "Nowadays the latest trend is to get an MBBS degree, sit for the United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE) or an exam of the Australian Medical Council (AMC) or go to USA or Australia as doctors there are paid quite well. He further explained that there is a lack of medical schools in Australia, which is why doctors from Pakistan go there and earn three to four thousand dollars monthly."

Meanwhile, engineering also continues to evolve in a developing country such as Pakistan, especially Karachi where some kind of development work is always in progress. "The best thing about an engineering degree is that you are so practically trained that as you graduate from an institute, you are ready to work and that is why advanced studies in engineering is not a popular trend," Sami Zeeshan, an electronic engineer by profession told Kolachi. Also, said Zeeshan, the growing number of cellphone companies in the country has opened up more avenues for fresh engineering graduates. Apart from electronics, Sami believes that being an agriculture-based country we need fertilisers and other related chemical manufactured substances, therefore the scope of chemical engineers is evergreen, with huge firms hiring great number of innovative engineers on yearly basis.

Hence it can be said that a good chemical engineer will never die starving in Pakistan.

Abedin remains optimistic about the future of engineers and doctors in Pakistan. He concurred with the view that doctors and engineers will always be in high demand because they help lay the foundation of a country.

Having said that, it is important that parents keep their children updated with the changes in the socio-economic conditions of the country along with the global career trends so that they can make an informed decision about their career, instead of succumbing to peer pressure or indecisiveness.

According to a survey conducted by Kolachi, following is a list of universities in order of preference by the high-school graduates in Karachi:

Business I

nstitute of Business Administration (IBA)

Institute of Business Management (IoBM), also known as CBM

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST)

IQRA University

Bahria University

Media

SZABIST

Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVSAA)

Visual Studies Department, University of Karachi

IQRA University

PAF-KIET

Medical

Dow Medical College, Sindh Medical College (SMC)

Aga Khan University (AKU)

Hamdard University

Baqai Medical University

Ziauddin Medical College (ZMC)

NED University of Engineering and Technology

Engineering

Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET)

Hamdard Institute of Engineering and Technology (HIET)

Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (DCET)

Usman Institute of Engineering and Technology

Iqbal Omer, an 18-year-old Intermediate student was extremely delighted that he visited the Education Expo held recently in Karachi at a local hotel. "Exhibitions such as these provide great opportunities, and help students in choosing their suitable careers. Since in our part of the world no one pays any attention towards students' counseling, therefore in my opinion, an exhibition like this can be termed no less than a gold mine."

Many students like Omer are dependent on these yearly exhibitions to provide them the platform and guidance for choosing suitable careers as the city, which is home to thousands of high school students, lacks proper counselling institutions. While schools, coaching centres and other educational institutions have sprung up in every nook and corner of the city, it is sad to know that there are only a few counselling institutions in the metropolis that can provide proper guidance and advice to the many clueless students. At times, many of these students are left wandering and confused as to which profession they should opt for and in which lies the greatest opportunity.

On the other hand, one may find countless institutions that are offering guidance to students for applying to foreign universities. 'Consultants', as they are called, differ greatly from counselling institutions as they provide counselling and relevant information to students who are applying only to foreign universities and colleges. Amanullah Lodhi, head of a local consultancy agency in this regard states, "We facilitate students who want to apply to foreign universities only."

With the growing awareness at the local front during the last several years, schools and colleges now have counsellors available at their premises. However, these student counsellors only give out information regarding foreign universities. According to Saif Mansoor, a GIK University student, "The counsellors mostly give guidance to students regarding foreign universities. Students are strongly encouraged to apply abroad."

In this regard, a recent graduate from the Lyceum School said, "In our school, presentations are given regarding admissions to foreign universities. Also, at times the counsellor first discusses the expenses, whether the student is willing to bear it, and then only the universities are talked about."

Corroborating this, Raza Abbas, the youngest trainer providing career guidance to 6,000 people in the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development programme, and currently Centre Head of the Institute for Advancing Careers and Talent (iAct) says, "Schools and Colleges can play a pivotal role with regard to career counselling. A lot of schools provide counselling to their students but they focus on how to go abroad rather than discovering the student's passion and local opportunities." According to Abbas, "Only a professional counsellor can provide proper career direction to a student, and can expose the strengths, identify the weakness and guide the person to the right path."

Requesting anonymity, a counsellor at a private A-levels school said, "When students come for advice, I encourage them to explore the possibilities, and to search for the options available to them. Students need someone to talk to, therefore, I talk to them about their career options." Often she has to deal with parents who want her to discourage their children from applying to overseas institutions, "Sometimes parents ask me not to encourage their children to go abroad. Once a parent came to me asking not to talk to her daughter about applying to international universities, as her daughter will eventually be married and her education will go wasted. I, on the other hand strongly believe that education can never ever be wasted."

Regarding the professions that students are currently opting for, she said, "The males are moving towards architecture and advertising, while the females are going for the business field." Abbas in this regard says, "It all depends on the students' needs/passion but these days students are opting for the fields such as human resources, business administration, accounting, psychology, mass communication, special education, and marketing."

While private schools are providing counselling facility to their students, some aptitude centres are also helping with career counselling. Muhammad Wali, coordinator at the Students Inn, Clifton campus says, "Before the classes for the aptitude tests start, the students are counselled in groups for the various fields they should opt for. The Director of the Institute, Saifullah Saifee gives the counselling classes himself, wherein he gives out information to the students regarding universities and fields they should apply for."

Referring to the need of career counselling classes at the college level, Sameena Nasir, an Intermediate student at Government College for Women in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, says, "Counselling is very important as we students need professional guidance when it comes to choosing the right career. We need guidelines so that we don't regret our decisions regarding the careers we choose." Asma Zaidi, a Professor at the School of Business Studies is of the view that career counselling is the most important thing for a student after graduating from high school.

Students should definitely be given counselling at the school level." Agreeing with Zaidi, Abbas says, "Career counselling is the need of the hour and should definitely be implemented in all schools, colleges and universities of Pakistan. Recently, the Government of Sindh has taken various proactive steps to introduce career counselling at the national level through programmes such as the Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme (BBSYDP) and a new project by the name of Inspiring Pakistani Youth to Reach Excellence through Counseling and Training in Sindh (Inspyre)."

The results for entry tests for JSTs and HSTs which appeared recently on Sindh University, Jamshoro, website showed 19,756 candidates, including 8,669 women, appeared for the JST test. The report said only 1,372 candidates, including 422 women, passed the test. Moreover, around 10,347 candidates, including 3,632 women, attempted the HST tests. Reports said that only 169 candidates passed, including 19 women.

Amazingly, not a single candidate from district Mathiari passed either of these written tests, which had been conducted on the orders of the World Bank to fill around 18,000 vacant posts of schoolteachers across Sindh. The Sindh education department had hired the services of Sindh University, Jamshoro, to conduct the tests. In Khairpur, around 6,000 candidates appeared for the JST tests. Merely 45 candidates, including three women, were successful. Around 2,300 candidates had attempted the HST test -- only 15, including three women, passed.

Above and beyond everything else, these results prove the lack of quality education in Sindh. Reports said that overall, only one percent of the candidates who had attempted these tests, were successful, showing a complete collapse of the educational system in Sindh.

Political appointments

For several years, there have been reports about how the educational institutions of the province have been politicised, and how government officials allegedly interfere in recruitments, postings and transfers. Schoolteachers, with no administrative experience, have been appointed as college administrators in various districts as a result of blatantly illegal postings.

To date, millions of dollars have been channelled into Pakistan by donor countries, ostensibly for the promotion of education and to ensure quality education.

Where has this money gone? Jobless young people and their parents visit the houses and offices of elected representatives, grovelling for employment. These hapless young people are unable to obtain jobs on their own because the quality of the education that they received at state-run institutions generally isn't worth much, leaving them unskilled and unprepared for the job market, and at the mercy of those who would benefit from their votes.

If the ministers concerned decided to do them a favour and appoint them as teachers at some village schools, children of that unfortunate school end up with an unskilled political appointee, and the cycle continues.

Absentee teachers and 'monthlies'

There are the reports that corruption in the education department is high than that in any other departments, and hundreds of teachers don't even bother showing up at their jobs merely by providing "monthlies" (a monthly bribe) to their bosses. Many of these lounge around at the houses of certain ministers all day, who, instead of taking note of their presence and demanding to know as to why they are not on duty at schools, actually encourage them -- firstly because they are their voters, and secondly, because of bribes.

What do the candidates think?

One candidate, Muhammed Jamil, said that he was very happy with the policy of recruitment tests for teachers, because these policies will motivate candidates to work hard. "When people realise that all they have to do to get the job is to pass the test, and not grovel at the feet of minsters and local politicians, would they not prefer tests? Such policies should be introduced in all departments," he said. "Reputable institutes should be hired for ensuring transparency at these tests."

These policies will affect political parties and their chiefs, Jamil maintained. "When these people realise that in the future no one will grovel at their feet to get jobs, they will stop messing with the educational system. We can hope to see improvements then."

Another candidate, however, was of the opinion that Sindh was not ready yet for such tests. "The quality of education at our schools and colleges is beyond disgusting. How do you expect people to cope with tests if you don't prepare them for it," he asked.

Before jumping the gun and pursuing such policies, the Sindh government should first amend and rectify the system and ensure that the postings and transfers of teachers is based on merit, he maintained.

The way forward

Sindh cannot hope to progress without an improvement in the standard of education. For one, job opportunities in private and government sectors are limited, because the successive governments seemed to have no interest in the industrialization of the province. Secondly, barring any legal means of earning, young people will be forced into lives of crime to ensure 'Roti, Kapra aur Makaan' (food, shelter and clothing) for their families.

While on one hand the results of the JST and HST tests proved the lack of political commitment to ensure quality education and the progress of Sindh, they also laid faults bare for those who may wish to correct them. The Sindh education minister admitted that the performance of the education department was poor and that, the literacy rate had not been improved yet. His statement is encouraging, and one hopes that after identifying these faults, he will also set about rectifying them.

Interior's youth speaks for themselves

Shakeel Ashraf is a student of class nine at a private school in Hyderabad. His father is a carpenter. Ashraf loves to study and wants to become a neuro-surgeon. His hobby is painting. He hopes to one day be able to establish an an institution for handicapped children. He promises to provide shelter to beggars as well, and wished every human being could lead a dignified life.

He wishes that children who collect garbage on the road could go to school instead. Ashraf loves trees, and wants to become like a tree that provides shade and protects people from the scorching heat.

Rohama Shamoon, another young participant of the summer camp, comes from Sanghar. Her father works at a petrol pump. After completing her education she wants to join an international NGO. She said that people in her area were suffering from load shedding and price hikes. Poor people are entrapped in debt, she said.

If Shamoon becomes the president of Pakistan some day, she will give money to the poor to get out of this debt trap, she promised. During the summer camp, she learnt about child rights, human rights, gender, state and politics.

Hina studies at a school in Haji Kamaluddin Panhwer Village. She said that people in her village were facing issues such as load-shedding, price-hike, and unemployment. Some people in her village do not send their daughters to schools, she said, adding that they do not even let their daughters step out of their houses. Hina thinks that parents should treat their sons and daughters equally, "but they think that their sons will support them financially while girls will get married and go to another family. This is why they do not see any benefit of providing education to girls."

Hina thinks that education is very important for girls as educated mothers can bring up their children in a better way.

Rameesh, from Tando Allahyar, lives in Ibrahim colony where most parents do not send their daughters to schools. He wishes that every child, whether a boy or a girl, could go to school and get free education. He wants to bring an end to terrorist activities. He also wants the poor to have access to free healthcare, as well as employment opportunities.

Suneel lives in a village of Sanghar called "Padri jo Goth" and studies in class eight. He wants to serve his village after becoming a doctor. The people of his village do not get water for their crops and Suneel hopes to solve this problem one day. He would also like to get metallic roads and a good sewerage system in his village.

Shazia Sardar attended the summer camp in 2003 as a student but this year she accompanied the students of St Isadora Elementary School of Padri jo Goth in Sanghar. Her village comprises 300 Christian households and six to eight Bheel (Hindu) families.

There is only one middle-school in the village, and many girls cannot continue their studies after the eighth grade. Shazia was fond of teaching since childhood and she is very glad that she is now teaching at the same school where she once studied.

Shazia thinks that poverty is the main reason for lack of education. Parents also get scared by slander-mongering, "but they should bring up their daughters in a way that they can face the world in a dignified way," she maintains.

From the personal to the political

Apart from issues that concern them directly, the children also have much to say about problems of national importance

Inflation is a monster!

Many students were of the view that price hike is the most significant issue and the government should do something to solve it. The salaries of poor people should be raised, and the government should not impose taxes on basic necessities. They thought that one of the reasons of price hike were "destructive activities" being carried out by some groups.

Energy crisis

Load-shedding or energy crisis is another issue that has made life miserable. The government and public both should think about it, the children said. People should conserve energy and the government should build new dams to produce electricity. Moreover, industries should get energy for free.

Political calls for strikes

Some students considered strike calls given by various political parties as a big problem for poor people who work on daily wages. Their children remain hungry on that day.

Infrastructure and security

Some students considered infrastructure a big issue, and said that roads are not in good shape, and should be repaired by the government.

Many students were worried about bomb blasts and said that explosive material should be used for peaceful purposes such as construction. They also believed that citizens should pinpoint terrorists.

Quality of education

Lack of quality education is also a problem, they believed. The teachers were of the opinion that the burden of books should be lessened, and the curriculum should be designed according to the intellectual level of the students. There is shortage of trained teachers in under-developed areas, while educational institutions have been politicized and merit has been violated.

The education has become a luxury and poor people can't dream of acquiring it, the children said, adding that there was a shortage of experienced teachers.

--MR

Alleviate poverty

The government must work towards alleviating poverty if it aims to end child labour because the two phenomena are interlinked, according to a study undertaken in districts Tharparkar, Umerkot and Dadu of Sindh by Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP) and Save the Children (UK).

The study was launched in Hyderabad on June 12 on the occasion of International Day against Child Labour. The report says that steps such providing livelihood and income support, employment and social safety net support to the rural poor should be taken in order to curb poverty. The purpose of the study is to free 20,000 working children from labour, and to ensure that these children have access to quality primary education and the opportunity to continue secondary education or to gain vocational skills.

The findings of the study showed that 60 percent of the households surveyed were below the official poverty line -- most of them in Umerkot.

The top three reasons for children dropping out of school were parents who could not afford to send their children to school for too long; children were needed to help in the household chores; and the school was either too far from the household or village or that children were not interested in their studies. On an average, children worked six hours a day, six days a week, and 11 months a year. .Almost one-third children were unpaid workers, who worked with their parents or elder siblings in the field or with livestock.

A majority of the households (62 percent) surveyed were found to be in debt, with amounts ranging around Rs29,000 per household. The average number of loans per borrowed household was 1.26, and the average indebtedness period was found to be 2.25 years. The main sources of loan were shopkeepers, who often provide grocery on both cash and credit. Other sources were landlords, relatives and friends, and moneylenders. The top three reasons specified for taking loans were household consumption, agricultural inputs, and healthcare.

The three major livelihood activities across the board were found to be agriculture, casual labour and livestock rearing both for adults and children.

Around 26 percent of the labour force in the surveyed households was self employed; 23 percent comprised unpaid workers; 18 per cent were unemployed, and two per cent were employed in farming, livestock and casual labour.

Some numbers to chew on...

• 36 per cent

children are involved in child labour (40 percent girls, 60 percent boys)

•66 per cent

children work only to contribute to household incomes Rs1,145 average amount earned by children per month

•56 per cent

children want to attend school

•36 per cent

surveyed settlements have no schools

•22 per cent

children are enrolled in school

•36 per cent

children had dropped out

•42 per cent

children had never been enrolled

•46 per cent

children did nothing

•22 per cent

surveyed schools were non-functional due to lack of teaching staff