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The problem of brain drain in Pakistan

By: Falaq A.S. Hamirani

Looking up for foreign colleges on the internet like any other A level student, a sudden thought came in my mind. Like all my friends, I was planning to go abroad and study in a foreign university without giving a thought about my country. I pondered over the fact that what would happen if a bunch of talented school children including me left the country for a better future and why is our country losing all of its precious assets? These thoughts made me realize that our country is facing a big problem- the problem of brain drain which would obviously have no immediate effects but would cause great harm to the country in the long run.

Brain drain or human capital flight is the departure or large emigration of educated or professional people with technical skills and knowledge from one country to another usually for a better pay, improved living conditions, job satisfaction, security for the family or lack of opportunities and political instability in home country. Brain drain is common amongst developing countries and the costs of it are huge as emigrants take with them their intelligentsia, skills and training and this can be regarded as the loss of countries� assets or the movement of financial capital.

Brain drain in Pakistan has increased at an alarming rate and is likely to increase in the future. Official estimates of Pakistan's Overseas Employment Corporation reveal that more than three thousand officials have migrated to other countries in the last couple of years. However, the actual number of emigrants cannot be revealed as many of them do not register. The causes of brain drain are obvious, especially amongst college graduates. These young ambitious youth do not see the scope of their occupation in their own country and this urges them to look for opportunities abroad and pursue their career in another country. Surprisingly, not only college graduates but also under- graduated students are a victim of the �western pull�. Some just want to get away from their own country not just because they are offered better opportunities but also because they are just not patriotic enough and do not appreciate the culture, lifestyle of their country or perhaps are fed up of the political instability and lack of security. Upon asking a friend of mine who has a passion of becoming a lawyer, whether she would stay here or pursue her career abroad she promptly said that she would go somewhere else as, according to her, Pakistan is not a place to practice law as lawyers go on a strike every other day!

Another reason of brain drain is that students who go abroad to study get so much involved in the new atmosphere and studies that they seldom get a chance to miss their own country and stay in touch with their family. Moreover, the cost of living and accommodation is huge in the foreign countries which rarely gives the students a chance to afford to buy an air ticket and fly to their home country during holidays. Pakistan�s airlines also do not offer concessions to these students and as a result they choose to stay in the foreign country and take part time jobs.

Although the emigrants are right on their part that this whole process can bring many advantages in the future, they often do not realize the problems their country would face after their departure. The country loses its skilled manpower and all those emigrants who have the potential of contributing to the development of the country. In addition, brain drain also affects the local economy and the salary structure. The high salaries offered in foreign countries leads to staff complacency in the local countries and businesses are forced to raise the salary bands of the employees despite low levels of productivity. Furthermore, a decline in skilled professionals can prevent a country from developing and fulfilling its objectives, for example, a decrease in the number of doctors and teachers would decrease the number of hospitals and schools in the future giving rise to social problems. These institutions would then be filled with less skilled and experienced doctors and teachers who would contribute less to the development of the country.

The problems of brain drain must be addressed and serious measures must be taken as it is real and costly. The government should take steps to reduce the level of educated unemployment and make sure that jobs are not offered on the basis of personal contacts but on an individual�s abilities. Their talents and performances should also be rewarded to remove frustration with the system. The process of emigration should be delayed, for example, the professionals can be asked to stay for a couple of years to pay off what they owe to their country University standards must be improved to stop the students from going abroad to study. Pakistan embassies abroad should take initiatives to find the exact number of students in foreign universities and update them about the positive developments in the country so that they are not oblivious of the current situation of their country. Moreover, a feeling of patriotism should be promoted amongst them so they learn to appreciate the culture and beliefs of their country.