The Hindu      06.08.2014  

Graduates apply for MCD jobs that pay Rs.7,000 per month

Waiting to hear back from a prospective employer can be a
stressful experience for anyone. But, those who are clearly
over-qualified for the job should be able to relax. Not Nita (name
changed). The 27-year-old holds an M.A. in Hindi and has applied for a
school attendant’s post in a municipal corporation. The job entails
taking care of students and helping out teachers, and pays minimum wage,
which is Rs.7,722 per month for un-skilled workers.

“I
want to be a teacher, but getting a government job isn’t easy. I don’t
have any other option this time because this would be my first job,” she
said.

She had applied for the post, which requires
Class X qualification, with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Thousands of applications for 270 posts of school attendants and 95
posts of nursery ayahs were handed in from May 29 to June 4.

“This
is the first time in over a decade that we have advertised such
vacancies, so the number of applicants is high. Till now, we have been
able to process 15,000 applications and it will take another month to
know the exact number,” said North Corporation Education Director Jasram
Kaim.

He explained that there were many others like
Nita who were over-qualified for the jobs. “We have got graduates who
have applied for the nursery ayah’s post,” he added. But, he said, the
applicants with higher qualifications will not be given any extra credit
for the same.

Senior municipal officials said they
could only set minimum qualification criteria and not the maximum. South
Delhi Municipal Corporation spokesperson Mukesh Yadav said: “Usually,
when we conduct recruitment for group D jobs, most of the applicants are
over-qualified.”

Stories repeat themselves

Inadequate
employment for the thousands of new graduates joining the Capital’s
workforce every year, plus the perceived security of government jobs,
means that the next time there are vacancies in the municipal
corporations, Nita’s story will repeat itself.

I
want to be a teacher, but getting a government job isn’t easy. I don’t
have any other option this time because this would be my first job