ISLAMABAD: Even after falling on the criteria, young interns are required to furnish references to enter in an organisation.
Registering themselves as a trainee is not the last straw rather it turns out to be a can of worms for them as they are treated like unwanted and irrelevant guests, said students of different universities expressing their dismay.
Quratul Ain Akram, a current student of International Islamic University, who just started a non-paid internship in a media organisation said, “I was treated as uninvited and unattended guest as I had no high-reference for a smooth entry into a quality media organisation. Finally a reference worked for me and I am lucky to having training at a reputed organisation.”
Another post graduate pupil of the same University Tayyaba Aslam voiced, “Dropping my CV in a number of channels proved to be a nightmare. No reference? No entry! After applying my whole bag of tricks I could manage to enter an organisation to register myself as an internee. But it was just like sailing on a boat to a long journey of an unknown island.”
“There is no impartial condition, as some students are even paid by the government for internships at reputed organisations while others have to move from pillar to post, just to get an entry for a non-paid training,” lamented Saadia Aslam, an internee of Fatima Jinnah University.
Neelum, who is getting training at an advertising agency, had encouraging remarks, and termed her experience a wonderful start. Anmol Rasheed going through an internship at a private news channel expressed her dissatisfaction for not being provided attention and guidance despite remaining available for hours.
“The instructors always display themselves so busy and unapproachable,” she complained. “It is just 6-8 weeks of training, and after completion, our performances are examined by our universities with a fine tooth comb which is unjust and irrational”, said Hashim Khan a student of the National University of Modern Languages who just concluded his internship from the official news agency.
“The instructors, until and unless, are ordered by their seniors do not help the internees and take them as an unwanted burden,” said Arooj Fatima of Fatima Jinnah Women University sharing her views.
“We are ready to educate with full dedication and commitment without any financial reward but we must be relaxed from our routine assignments because it’s a full time job to start teaching basics to a student,” remarked, an Instructor of the internees at a media house.
When contacted, Islamic University’s media department head said, “It’s all true, but students must follow certain regulations at workplace and accept the bitter realities. We are aware of the students’ issues and are working on it.”
The students have demanded the government to devise a transparent and hassle-free mechanism for their smooth internship training with a clear-cut guideline to the relevant organisations to sail through this exercise.
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