Vyapam Scam

                   Job scams across India has captured peoples attention at regular intervals but nothing has catapulted itself to Vyapam scam of MadhyPradesh . The one before Vyapam hogging the limelight was the notorious Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers recruitment scam, where 3206 teachers were illegally recruited in Haryana in 2000. The investigation in JBT led to the arrest of former CM (Om Prakash Chautala) and host of high ranking officials. The gravity of Vyapam that jolted national conscience was after deaths of 41  people so far, allegedly associated with scam. This scam where about 2,000 people are arrested so far, prominent being the BJP ex-Education minister Laxmikant Sharma while scores of others are still on run is finally handed over to CBI .
                  Before discussing the anatomy of Vyapam scam,its necessary to find out the real causes for such job scams to occur at regular intervals. There are many reasons for unending loop of job scams in India but basic and foremost being the large workforce with almost identical skills competing for fewer jobs(demand supply mismatch) .The job safety of government job makes it alluring for people to follow unfair practices, there had been instances of under privileged families bribing touts and middleman by taking loans or mortgaging there property. It's not just government jobs for which people pay through there noses,even getting a descent  private sector job is becoming an uphill task nowadays. About 12 million people join the workforce every year in India vying for stagnant jobs .With fewer jobs and incompetent corrupt institution,getting a lucrative job entice people to harp on to immoral,unscrupulous means. The biggest fallout of such scams is the replacement of meritorious candidates by dubious candidates.
                   Truth is jobs are perilously low and inadvertently a web of government officials, racket leaders, middlemen, candidates and their parents in collusion are responsible for such scams occurring at frequent intervals. Education plays a vital role in the development of any country,the quality of education whether at primary or higher education is significantly poor thus compounding the problem. Deplorable condition of education sector demands reforms in education system , bookish knowledge along with vocational training in consultation with private sector should be imparted to increase chances of employability. In India, only 7 per cent students are getting vocational education which is the crux of problem. It's very important to have education with the economic arrangements for reaping maximum benefits.
                   Our obsolete education system creates unemployable workforce without skills.The trend of government and private sector decreasing investment in education sector needs reversal. Universities should be encouraged to not only to impart vocational training along with bookish knowledge but seek collaboration with Foreign Universities to embrace newer skills. To start with, not much research work is carried out in our universities, we are emphasizing more on consuming knowledge rather developing innovation skills to succeed. Colleges and universities should motivate students to excel through innovative skills. The sorry state of universities becomes startling clear when not even one single university included to the ranks of the top 100 universities in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings. Investment in research and development is meager 0.9% since 2005 in India despite governments assurances of increased allocation.
                  As long as country has stagnant growth, majority of our population below 35 years of age and increasing number joining the workforce strain on jobs will continue. India can't afford to be a laggard, transition from knowledge to innovative skills based economy is need of hour. We have to be agile and adaptable to the needs of changing world requirements to be at forefront with requisite skills to reap maximum benefits. Lastly transformation isn't possible without out of box thinking, innovation, entrepreneurship should be motivated through public,private investments
                This scourge of Vyapam scam though is related to only MP in reality isn't actually confined to only one state, it is present in different states with variable names.The perpetrators of Vyapam scam should be prosecuted and better vigilance and transparency is required for stopping any more scams to occur .Job scams were and will continue unabated as long as effective stern measures aren't initiated with sole purpose of transforming education system.More funding towards research and innovation should be provided with minimum bureaucratic interference. The contour of robust economy is the growth and in changing scenario innovation, skill development is the buzz word for providing jobs thus eradicating poverty and inequality.There are many stake holders in it but government and private players have prominent role to play in transformation.