Graduating to What?

The streets of Manila and no doubt the rest of the Philippines are currently awash with ankle biters. It is the long summer holidays. The cadence of “No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks” broke out at the end of March and will remain in place until the beginning of June when the new school year begins.

Never one to miss a sales opportunity, stores of various kinds were offering congratulations and special deals to the 2005/2006 graduating students. With certificate frames for those coveted pieces of paper being prominent in the promotions. The start of April is the graduation season.

Elementary schools, high schools, technical colleges and Universities all hold their farewells to the students who are moving on to their next phase of education or out into the work force.

My stepson graduated this year after four years of study with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management, along with five hundred of his peers, from the University of Santo Tomas’ College of Education. With the seven colleges and eight faculties at UST combined with some twenty five Universities and Colleges of Advance education throughout Metro Manila the number of new graduates looking for jobs is staggering.

It does make one wonder how many will still be looking for work in their chosen field when next years graduates enter the market place. One suspects that the tenacious graduates with a real urge to follow their calling will succeed. The others will languish on the side lines or travel the OFW route and take menial work in another country whilst their framed degree’s gather dust on distant, familiar walls.