Will we ever come out of job-centric fix of education?

Two developments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh last fortnight signal a change in the outlook of parents. Both are to do with formal educational system and remind urgency of a re-look of our priorities. The Telangana one is silent, the other in Andhra is vocal and out on road. Both remind and revive a basic issue to do with education. Nearly three lac students that is almost half of those who passed out of high school in Telangana in 2021 preferred not to continue with college education. This is despite that government reimburses a major portion of tuition fees. This trend cannot be a result of Covid. Why then they preferred to stay away? This is against the background that so many new colleges have come up recently. Is that they do not find any course attractive enough? Or is it that parents consider that pursuing education is no more a guarantee for a better future or for employment? The general perception is that the higher the education the less the chances of getting a job. And that so many graduates, particularly of engineering, are viewed as misfits for recruitment. This trend is causing many colleges become unviable to improve quality of teaching and infrastructure.