Journalism graduates of Jazan University, who received their degrees more than three years ago, are still unemployed. They have demanded real job opportunities or the suspension of women’s enrollment in the subject to curb the increasing numbers of unemployed graduates in the field.

“I graduated more than three years ago and have applied for a number of jobs in journalism. I presented my papers to the Jazan University thrice but am still unemployed. If we don’t have job opportunities in the market, why enroll so many female students who will just add to the number of unemployed journalists,” said Zaheera.

Many graduates suggested that scrapping the journalism department at the University is the best solution to the problem because it yields no benefits to women. “It is just like an extra tuition for those who want to take a course in Arabic terminology and a program for those with low grades,” one former stident said.

They added that around 200 students graduate from the journalism department every year but remain unemployed owing to lack of jobs. Graduates who apply to newspapers are often turned back because there are no vacancies. They called on university officials to stop accepting students in the department if they don’t have the ability to provide at least 50 percent of them with jobs every year.

Jazan University's study programs need to be revamped and officials should hold conferences or seminars with other government establishments to find a solution.

An official source at Jazan University said that they are in the process of setting up a center for a newspaper which might contribute to solving part of the problem by employing a number of graduates. This was a clear indication that the university has no intention of stopping enrollment in the department.