Postgraduates Queue Up for Cooks’ Posts at KGBVs in Kurnool
116 applications have been received for each job category
Kurnool: In a startling paradox in Kurnool district, postgraduates and engineering degree graduates have applied for low-skilled non-teaching jobs, including the posts of cooks, in government-run Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs).
The minimum qualification for head cook and assistant cook posts is only SSC. But more than 670 postgraduates have applied for these positions, officials said.
What has further shocked officials is the volume of applications. Notifications have been issued for 77 non-teaching posts across 26 KGBV schools in Kurnool district. The vacancies include posts of attendant, watchman, scavenger, sweeper, head cook and assistant cook.
In total, as many as 8,984 applications have been received — averaging 116 applications per post. The situation has triggered a wider debate across the state on job scarcity and the desperation among educated youth.
“Government jobs are the only priority now, irrespective of the nature of work,” an official remarked, admitting that the overwhelming response has taken the department by surprise.
Officials said the trend is not limited to cooks’ posts. For ANM posts, candidates with M. Sc. Nursing applied. Similarly, applications from B. Tech and M. Tech graduates have been received for computer instructor posts, a senior official from the Samagra Shiksha department disclosed.
Educationists and experts attribute this phenomenon to the sharp slowdown in IT and campus recruitment, particularly in Rayalaseema districts. Every year, over 30,000 engineering graduates pass out from colleges in the region. They are in addition to nearly 50,000 degree holders in sciences and arts. Around 25,000 postgraduates and more than 20,000 ITI and diploma holders also enter the job market annually.
“Campus placements have almost vanished in recent times. Software jobs are not coming, and unemployment is rising steadily,” said an engineering college professor in Kurnool.
“Over-qualified applying for low-skilled jobs is not a healthy sign for the economy or the education system,” the professor stated.
The KGBV recruitment episode highlights the growing mismatch between education, job creation, and skill utilisation in the state.