Skilled But Overlooked: The Cycle of Job Discrimination Against Specialized Graduates

What happens when years of specialized study, hard-earned skills, and academic excellence collide with a wall of indifference in the job market? The answer is painful but familiar: frustration, underemployment and the quiet exodus of talent. When Dr. Adnan Mannan recently asked by Prothom Alo, “When will the devaluation of biotechnologists’ qualifications in the job sector end?”, his words struck a chord that resonates far beyond one discipline. It exposes a systemic problem in Bangladesh, where students from specialized fields are routinely sidelined, their expertise undervalued at home even as it is sought after abroad. We grieve over brain drain again and again, yet beyond lip service, little ever changes. Just as biotechnologists face invisible walls in research institutes, agriculture, and education, so too do Printing and Publication Studies graduates encounter systemic exclusion from relevant job markets.

Printing and Publication Studies, taught only at the University of Dhaka, is such a unique discipline in Bangladesh. Each year, based on the department’s seat capacity, 30 graduates enter the country’s job market. Since its inception in 2015, this department has already produced four batches of graduates and three batches of postgraduates. Yet in most cases, employers remain completely unaware of this discipline. Many do not even know that such a subject exists, nor that it covers such a wide range of diverse fields. As a result, graduates of this subject are continuously deprived of fair opportunities. Much like the biotechnologists who study Plant Science, Food Security, and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology but are barred from relevant jobs, Printing and Publication Studies students have specialized skills that go unused.

But the reality should have been the opposite. Every institution has positions like Publication Officer or other related posts, where graduates of this department should logically be given priority. Yet in recruitment for editors or sub-editors in newspapers, or for similar roles in government and autonomous institutions, this department’s name is never mentioned, even though other departments are specifically listed. Perhaps employers do not know that Printing and Publication Studies exists, or that it offers courses on editing across different semesters. The pattern mirrors the plight of biotechnology graduates: their very existence in the curriculum is invisible to recruiters, leading to systematic exclusion despite clear alignment with job requirements.

For example, in the very first year, students are taught courses on Bangla and English writing skills, where they gain knowledge of grammar, sentence structure, and techniques to turn writing into standard, polished work. Alongside this, they learn copy-editing and proofreading. In the second year, students take advanced courses in professional and creative writing, academic writing styles, editing techniques, and editorial management. Step by step, every semester equips them not only with core publishing knowledge but also with skills in research, library management, and even modern electronic publishing (e-publishing). This parallels how biotechnologists receive hands-on training in Cryopreservation, Animal Breeding, and Drug Discovery, yet face doors closed in agriculture, research, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Thus, it is evident that although students gain diverse skills, they still do not find adequate job opportunities. Even in teaching positions at schools, students of this department are not eligible to apply for the Teacher Registration Exam, despite having studied Bangla, English, computer, and graphics design courses during their academic years. Similarly, biotechnology graduates are systematically excluded from school-level teaching exams, assistant teacher posts, and related positions, despite having studied Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, and other relevant life sciences.

In the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS), these students are also deprived of applying to the education cadre. Furthermore, even in the Department of Printing and Publications or other relevant agencies, suitable work environments and opportunities have not been created yet. Recruitment notices are rare to nonexistent. The BCS system mirrors the biotechnology sector, where subjects are arbitrarily grouped—Genetic Engineering with Engineering, Biotechnology with Agriculture—effectively blocking thousands of qualified candidates.

At the postgraduate level, students also gain specialized knowledge in areas like security printing and specialized publishing. But has there been any scope to reflect that knowledge in practical fields? Similarly, they also receive hands-on training in commercial printing and packaging. Yet, in reality, the country has not developed enough opportunities to utilize such specialized practical skills. Institutions, instead of nurturing young graduates’ knowledge, often exploit them with low pay and heavy workloads, without giving them the time or scope to apply their expertise. As a result, despite having specialized education, many are forced to shift into unrelated careers. This is truly a waste of the nation’s resources, knowledge, and intellectual capacity. The same can be said for biotechnology graduates, who study Food Technology, Plant Breeding, and Animal Biotechnology, yet must go abroad to find work where their skills are valued.

The same pattern is seen in university faculty recruitment. Departments like Media and Communication or Journalism allow applicants from journalism or film and media studies backgrounds, but Printing and Publication Studies graduates, despite being relevant, are excluded. Most job circulars never even mention this department’s name. Yet, the curriculum includes courses in communication, business communication, advertising, and public relations, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Biotechnology graduates face a comparable double standard: interdisciplinary knowledge is encouraged academically, but recruitment policies rigidly bar them from relevant departments.

In various government job circulars, even in military recruitment, names like Mass Communication and Journalism are included. For positions like Public Relations Officer, preference is given to graduates of Bangla, English, or Mass Communication and Journalism. The advertisements explicitly mention these fields only. But in Printing and Publication Studies, students complete 46 credits of courses directly or partially aligned with Mass Communication and Journalism curricula. In both cases, highly skilled graduates are rendered invisible in official recruitment processes, as if their disciplines do not exist.

In the field of research too, students of this department are keeping pace with those of other social science disciplines. At both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, they conduct research as part of their coursework and learn research-related skills. They also study courses such as basic economics, management, and marketing. Yet in recruitment for research officers, advertisements often list the names of other social science departments but exclude Printing and Publication Studies. Similarly, biotechnology graduates are barred from research institutes like BLRI, BFRI, and BRRI, despite formal training in core scientific areas and research methodology.

Therefore, it can be said that students of this department face discrimination almost across the board. Despite having a dedicated academic discipline and relevant expertise, ignorance and lack of clarity about the curriculum are causing employers to deprive these students of opportunities. This is absolutely unacceptable. Whether it is biotechnology or Printing and Publication Studies, Bangladesh’s systemic disregard for specialized education results in talent exodus, wasted resources, and lost potential for national development. Clear the obstacles, let our graduates move forward.


Nafew Sajed Joy is a Bangladeshi researcher, writer and an environmentalist.