Graduates are Being Locked Out of Their Future

AS Namibia marked its 36th independence anniversary last week, the celebrations of freedom and a prosperous future rang hollow for thousands of graduates.

They find themselves locked out of the job market, not by a lack of qualifications but by an inability to pay.

Countrywide, graduates in nursing and teaching, two of the largest professional groups produced by our tertiary institutions, are discovering that their degrees no longer guarantee a pathway into employment.

Instead, they rarely face being shortlisted for an interview, let alone securing a job.

Interviews for nursing and teaching posts now routinely attract more than 1 000 applicants competing for a handful of positions.

To manage the numbers, candidates must first pass written tests, a process that should, in theory, level the playing field.

However, according to allegations circulating among some unemployed graduates, the marking of these tests is not always impartial.

They claim those who can pay interviewers or markers are allegedly assured of at least consideration.

For teaching posts, candidates must navigate both a written test and a verbal interview. At each stage, the opportunity to buy influence is rumoured to be allegedly available to those with means.

BETRAYED PROMISES

Namibia remains one of the most unequal countries in the world, a distinction it has held since independence.

Yet three and a half decades into freedom, the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to widen and the employment system appears to be reinforcing, rather than reducing, that divide.

If there is any truth in the allegations, then employment is no longer only a matter of merit but, in some cases, a transaction.

Those from poor families, those without cattle to sell or savings to draw on, are effectively excluded before the race begins.

The question is unavoidable: how can a young person from a poor socio-economic background ever hope to compete fairly?
At 36, Namibia should be implementing justice and fairness across all spheres of government.

The empty promises of prosperity for all by politicians need to reach the ears of technocrats, often the culprits in these transactions.

Employment, in particular, should offer every citizen an equal chance to compete, to contribute, and to build a life.
These allegations, although unverified, are too serious to ignore.

They demand investigation by the relevant authorities.

How tests are marked and how shortlists are compiled need to be scrutinised.

It is also high time that those with information report it to the relevant authorities.

The education and health ministries must act swiftly. Transparency in recruitment is a constitutional imperative.

YOUTH AT RISK

For Namibia’s youth, the stakes could not be higher.

With unemployment already estimated at 36.9% overall and far higher among young people, the country cannot afford a system that allegedly rewards wealth over ability.

For graduates who queue for interviews and who sit for tests they suspect are rigged, these are not statistics.

They are Namibians who studied, who hoped, who believed that education would be their path to a better life.
At 36, a nation should know better and do better.

We are too few to be poor.

It is important that these concerns are investigated.

Should any of the allegations be substantiated, those involved should be held accountable.

Anything less would betray not only the graduates, but the promise of independence itself.

• Faustinus Shikukutu is a teacher and a resident of Kavango East. The views expressed here are his own.

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