India’s silent youth crisis: College-educated but poorer than a farm hand
Al Jazeera
Two-thirds of India’s unemployed youth are educated — a fraction which has doubled since 2000.
Ralegaon, India – Sometimes, Shivanand Sawale rues his choices and dreams.
Growing up in Dabhadi village in the Yavatmal district of western India’s Maharashtra state, the 42-year-old was so inspired by teachers around him that he wanted to become one himself.
He battled poverty, his father’s untimely death and his growing farm losses and turned that aspiration into a reality.
He is now among the most well-educated in his village: Sawale obtained a Master of Science and a Diploma in Education, a certificate degree meant for elementary-level school teachers.
Yet, he is often the butt of jokes among his friends. The reason? He makes less money than a landless labourer in the village. After working for 13 years in a private school, Sawale makes 7,500 rupees ($90) a month, or 250 rupees ($2.4) a day.
