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 Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the youth unemployment rate remains at a staggering 65.5%. This disturbing number 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 unforgettable and 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 of the stage, they are already electrifying the atmosphere.
Unlike in other traditional institutions, they are given enough time to enjoy their moments. Indeed, it is once, it’s time 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 the part of the ceremony where their family and friends cheer as loud as possible and applaud them on this major accomplishment.
However, the excitement from those entertaining snippets from the UKZN ceremonies fades very quickly as one remembers that the road ahead is full of despair, frustrations and endless gatekeeping, especially for black graduates.
Immediately, one begins to feel for the jubilant graduates. Unfortunately, many of them know about the socio-economic status of our country, but they remain hopeful because they are graduating. The reality of joblessness and hopelessness that awaits them post-university life is precisely what leads to a sad generation with higher learning qualifications.
There is one thing we do so well, and consistently as a country, 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. In an African continent that is supposedly pillared by the ethos of ubuntu, it makes no sense how those that are 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 the graduates and 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 their despair. The truth is, our leaders and decision-makers have to graduate from greed and self-serving. They must become people that think of the future of this country and the future of those that 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 only constant in producing graduates and is almost disinterested in creating opportunities for them.
At times, we even 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 the graduation ceremony 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 significantly low. Thus, ensuring that the graduation ululations and dances are celebrations that will lead to endless opportunities. Until then, the ceremonies remain a painful reminder of a gloomy future.
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