Nothing to ululate, dance about when one graduates
The road to employment is full of despair, frustrations and endless gate-keeping, especially for new black professionals
Graduation ceremonies are a culmination point; on one hand we are celebrating the milestone of completing a course and obtaining a qualification in a specific field. On the other hand, it is about preparing yourself for a workplace that is almost nonexistent. The convocation becomes a moment of sadness and happiness.
According to Stats SA, the youth unemployment rate remains at a staggering 65.5%. This is a result of a country that is failing to create opportunities for the graduates, yearly.
As expected, any graduate is filled with excitement at the prospect of getting a job or starting a business. They are thrilled, rightfully so. If you watch the University of KwaZulu-Natal celebrations, you will completely forget about the sorrows of our mockery of a country.
As the UKZN graduates make walking the stage the most momentous part of the ceremony, the ululation, song dedication and camaraderie of the students are unmatched. As they are escorted row-by-row to the stage, waiting in line at the foot, they are already electrifying the atmosphere.
They are given enough time to enjoy their moment. You’ll hear your name called, walk across the stage to shake the chancellor’s hand and stop to take a photo in front of everyone. This is where family and friends cheer as loudly as possible and applaud them on this major accomplishment. However, the excitement fades quickly as one remembers that the road ahead is full of despair, frustrations and endless gatekeeping, especially for black graduates. One begins to feel for the jubilant graduates. Many of them know about the socioeconomic status of SA, but remain hopeful . The reality of joblessness and hopelessness that awaits them postuniversity life is precisely what leads to a sad generation with qualifications. There is one thing we do so well, and consistently; we produce a significant number of graduates yearly. What is also conspicuous in our daily lives is the shameless corruption from those trusted to provide leadership and create opportunities for the youth of our country. Instead, they launder money, they enrich themselves and those close to them. They are not only stealing money. They are robbing vulnerable individuals of their futures.
It is the selfish concept of prioritising self over others. On an African continent that is supposedly pillared by the ethos of ubuntu, it makes no sense how those trusted to challenge the system that is disadvantageous to the majority are not concerned.
On the contrary, they are deliberately incapacitating, ruining, and running down state-owned entities to benefit from the direct suffering of others.
If anything, education has become a key to the mental and emotional destruction of many young people. And I say this with a distraught heart. The street corners, taverns, and homes in the townships and villages are filled with graduates who cannot find employment or opportunities. Some are depressed and others are even suicidal.
The key to success that is called education has turned into a key to despair. The truth is, our leaders have to graduate from greed and selfserving. They must become people who think of the future of SA and the future of those who are poorer.
Most black graduates in SA come from impoverished homes. Just like myself, many moons ago, the goal was to graduate, get a job, and be able to support my family with the necessities. But this need for the bare minimum is unachievable in a country that is constant in producing graduates and is almost disinterested in creating opportunities for them.
At times, we experience tragedy and triumph at the graduation ceremony. While many are draped in their graduation gowns on top of new clothes, poverty shows its ugly head. And for UKZN’s Dumisane Ngobese, his tears at graduation were water to the garden of victory. He won the battle of being an unemployed graduate. Those who still have their ubuntu intact offered him an opportunity of a lifetime. He won’t be a frustrated graduate who is jobless.
Many of us remain prisoners of hope, we believe that one day the unemployment statistics will be low, and graduation ululations and dances are celebrations that will lead to endless opportunities. Until then, the ceremonies remain a painful reminder of a gloomy future.