Too Many Art Degree Graduates, Not Enough Jobs In South Africa

South Africa's high demand for specialists in the math and science fields leaves arts-degree holders often struggling to find employment.

EKURHULENI, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS) - For students from poor backgrounds in South Africa the natural progression from school to university to employment is riddled with challenges. The country's public education system is plagued with corruption and economic divisions created by the white minority government of apartheid that ended 19 years ago.

Hundreds of schools do not have electricity or running water and absenteeism is such a concern that President Jacob Zuma once begged teachers to show up for classes.Thamsanqa Maqubela, CEO for South African Graduates Association says the problems university graduates encounter often begin at the primary and secondary school level.

"You realize that a lot of township schools, a lot of schools from rural areas are highly disadvantaged. Simply because you have very little resource of the availability of competent math and science teachers or educators, so ordinarily it becomes that a learner from a high school in a rural area, in an African community predominantly, has no access to mathematics teachers so then a large number of them are taken into maths literacy and that on its own limits their level, limits their scope of opportunities of what they can enrol for when they go to university," he said in an interview.

A university education is seen as the best ticket out of poverty. Competition is fierce and at some of the top schools, there are about 10 applicants for each place.

But according to Africa Economic Outlook, there are 600,000 unemployed university graduates in South Africa unable to fill 800,000 job vacancies.

High schools offer a wide variety of subjects - from math and sciences, to visual arts and history, of which students must pass six to get into university with a score of at least 40 percent on three exams and 30 percent on three others.

Many students are either unable to meet the grade requirements to pursue science degrees, or are simply not interested because the arts are easier to qualify for.

"There is a scarcity of forensic pathologists in South Africa so I think that type of field is needed. I knew that I was going into a job that needs quiet a lot of people doing it," saidLihla, who is one of a handful of students pursuing the field.

While Lihla and other science graduates are confident of finding jobs in sectors hungry for human resource in South Africa, Mbali, a 19-year-old first year student believes sticking with her BA in communications degree is not a waste of time.

"People don't seem to take the B-Tech and BA seriously so they tend to think doing the maths and science is easier (to find work) which it is but if you are determined to do something, you can get it I guess," she said.

According to South African based employment services company, Adcorp, unemployment among South African youth remains high at 51 percent. Among those with tertiary education degrees the unemployment rate varies by type of qualification.

Thato Sibiya helps at his brother's wheel repair shop. Despite doing a course in graphic design over three years ago and having a competitive portfolio, he says there have been too few job openings in his field and too many applicants.

"Getting into the graphic design industry is not easy, because the first thing you need is a qualification. Just to be recognised that you have completed the course and you also need a portfolio, it's like an example of the work you have done back in college to show you prospective employer that you are capable of doing that particular job," he said.

Analysts say the type of education offered in schools today needs to be more in touch with the needs of the market, not only in Africa's largest economy, but the entire continent.

"A number of these graduates are not ready for the world of work, they are certificated, they have a qualification but they do not have a set of skills that... they do not have some of the superior skills, some of them do not have work experience, not actually work experience because they have never worked but you expect them to have a certain level of work exposure and all those things count towards them. Employers are typically looking for your problem solvers, young graduates who are able to speak the language, able to understand, based on the attitude that they are here to make a contribution and not just to be given the opportunity or a chance," said Maqubela.

There have been numerous changes for the better in South Africa's education system with more of the country's blacks, excluded from most high-quality education under apartheid, entering high-performing schools.

Once almost exclusively white, universities now reflect the racial composition of the country with more people from groups disenfranchised by apartheid climbing the ladder with a degree or diploma.

But at the same time, the number of people living in poverty has changed little since apartheid ended, with no remedy in sight given the structural problems in education.