The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) conferred gold medals on 113 of its students during the 3rd annual convocation on Thursday, but many of them were dejected due to the situation of jobs in the market.
When Pakistan Today asked the students graduating about their future plans, some of them were of the view that they can easily get jobs against bribes while some others said they had decided to switch their field, as they had failed to get a job, despite securing the highest marks in examinations.
Ramzan Mengal, clinched the first position in Islamic History, but said that he would sell out his gold medal if he fails to get a job in the near future. He said he was interested in getting a government job but does not have the money to buy a job.
“I do not have the money and now I have decided to sell my gold medal so that I can return to my hometown,” Mengal, who hails from Khuzdar, Balochistan, said. “I will get some pictures with my gold medal and the convocation gown to tell the people in Khuzdar that I got the first position.”
According to him, he is the first person in his hometown to obtain a gold medal in education.
Among the jubilant students were graduates who claimed that their medals were not enough as they are not getting any jobs.
Position holder from Political Science, Muhammad Israr said he had recently met the FUUAST vice chancellor and given him an application for services as a lecturer at the institution.
“I have applied to a number of places but it seems that there is no job opportunity in the market,” he said. “I was never interested in teaching but when I failed to get a job, I decided to apply at FUUAST itself.”
“I would like to go to SM Law College to take admission in a law course as I believe this course would help me in getting a good job,” added Israr, who hails from Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The top position holder of FUUAST’s Mass Communication Department told Pakistan Today that despite the fact they had completed their professional studies with proper practicals at the university, they were still jobless.
Nida Maqsood and Sanodia Sundus, students of MA, shared the joint first position and received gold medals.
However, both of them are still trying their best to get jobs.
Maqsood is interested in a desk job while Sundus wants to become a crime reporter and have applied at a number of places.
Rana Javed, who secured the second position in Mass Communication, has also failed to find a job for himself and has enrolled himself in the MPhil programme at FUUAST. “I have applied at several firms and also completed a six-month internship at a reputable newspaper. I was quite sure they would hire me, but they didn’t. I am working at another newspaper without a salary,” he added.
A graduate of FUUAST’s Microbiology Department claimed she has been looking for a job for the past two years and now feels that either the institute or her studies were not good enough to impress the hiring authorities.
Another FUUAST student, who completed his BBA last year, said he has been looking for jobs but didn’t even get a call for interview. “It seems the companies simply do not consider me a strong contender for the post or ignore my resume,” he remarked.
When approached for comments, FUUAST Vice Chancellor told Pakistan Today that the varsity was established in 2002 and needs time to compete with the top varsities imparting education since decades. “Sometimes our graduates may not be considered for job as many private sector companies still took at FUUAST as a degree college,” he admitted.
