The student protests that dominated the headlines were triggered by an examination paper leak. But it would be a mistake to view them only as a protest against the mismanagement of examinations. The leak touched a much deeper anxiety. For millions of young Indians, success in a competitive examination is one of the few remaining routes to a secure and reasonably paid livelihood. When the integrity of that process is compromised, it means another year in an already prolonged wait for employment. The protests were, therefore, as much about jobs as about examinations.

Government competitive examinations have become a national waiting room for graduates. Young people in their early twenties spend several years in coaching classes, libraries, and rented rooms, making repeated attempts at examinations where the success rate may be one or two per cent. These are prime years in which they could have acquired work experience, workplace skills, savings, and professional networks.

This waiting is not irrational because entry-level private-sector salaries have hardly moved for a long time. The average monthly earning of a young male graduate fell from about Rs 21,800 in 2011 to Rs 19,573 in 2023, even before adjusting for inflation. A government job, by contrast, offers much better pay, continuity, health benefits, social status, and much greater protection against dismissal. Waiting is, therefore, an individually rational response. But the collective outcome is a considerable waste of human potential.

Graduate Employment Gap

Between 2004 and 2023, India produced roughly five million graduates every year, but graduate employment increased by only around 2.8 million annually. Even fewer obtained salaried employment. Millions are either unemployed or working below their qualifications or are in the waiting room for the elusive government job.

The Periodic Labour Force Survey reported an overall unemployment rate of 3.1 per cent in 2025 and........

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