BRAIN DRAIN; A REVIEW
Imagine you are sitting in your living room and out of surprise you get a call from
a friend (not so close) telling you that he's gotten the student visa and now he's going to study abroad for higher education. With despair you start to envy his plans and happy ending of his academic career and curse your fate not being so lucky like your friend and to be in Pakistan for the rest of the years. These same stories you might heard every while from your neibhourhood or one among friends that young people are leaving Pakistan for higher education and degree. Parents and other family members of those young people feel privilege that their sons and daughters are guaranteed to have a bright future and unbelievable job opportunities regardless of thinking that their own nation is facing the draining of young brains in the name of poor, politically trapped and labeled as highly involve in terrorism. Have we ever put our notices to the trend of brain draining which is almost from every part of Pakistan? You Ask most educated Pakistanis today what they want for their future, and you'll find a large number will say: to settle down in America, Canada or UK. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, the literal meaning of brain draining is the departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another usually for better pay or living conditions.Universities in west welcome students from all over the world mentioning their mission that "It is clearly in America's long-term national-security interest to welcome international students to come here to study", said IIE (international institute of education) President Allan Goodman in a statement released with the study. "International students in U.S. classrooms widen the perspectives of their U.S. classmates, contribute to vital research activities, strengthen the local economies in which they live, and build lasting ties between their home countries and the United States." But in reality the propaganda behind is to earn a large amount of money through tuition fee from international student which is four times of what US citizens pay. Not only this but also oversea students have almost no opportunities to work part-time while they are studying (unless through some acquaintance). Because if this is going to be happen it means no money is coming from outside and then their own money is going to be used by non-Americans in those American universities. This is how they can face a huge lose in their economy. Not only this but when these young Pakistanis graduate, they tend to do much better on average financially than even locals. For example, the median income in the late 1970s of Pakistanis was $20,000, which is well above the US national average of $17,000 (as quoted by staff writer). Although American immigration policy since 1965 claims to open up the country's doors to the world's "poor and huddled masses", most of those it accepts as migrants do not fit this bill (Le, 2010). Instead entry to America is only possible when you have heavy bank balance or a most highly educated and professional degree holders like Pakistani professionals. Apart from loosing such a massive manpower, one of the reasons that Pakistan is getting poor is because its youth and professionals have become selfish to move out and migrate those countries which is not their own but gives them a luxurious life.
Currently, there are 68 public universities and 56 private universities in Pakistan. Eight public and 18 private institutions have degree awarding status. The average expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP has been little more than two per cent from 2006 to 2008 (Salman Shuaib, 2007).According to British council report in July 2009 the driving force for all Pakistanis to study overseas is increased employability in a competitive marketplace. For students who are unable to gain admission to a prestigious Pakistani institution, the options are to study at less prestigious institutions, new private institutions, or then thinking of overseas destinations. For most Pakistani students, studying abroad is the most appealing option, as international qualifications are generally sought after by Pakistani businesses and also offer the possibility of finding employment overseas.
Hundreds of Pakistani students moved out in developed countries like America and Canada every year for higher education and better job prospects. According to BBC report on November 17, 2000, Gallup-Pakistan survey indicates that not only qualified professionals and university graduates want to leave the country, but even semi-skilled and unskilled workers want to migrate in search of better prospects. About 62 per cent of the adults interviewed for the survey expressed the desire to go abroad to work, while 38 per cent say that they would prefer to settle permanently outside the country. This shows that many Pakistanis are gradually losing faith in the country's economic future. (Zaffar Abbas, 2000)
Based on HESA (higher education statistics agency) statistics of July, 2007 "the total number of Pakistani students enrolled in the UK was 9,335 in 2006 / 2007, with 6,205 students in postgraduate and 3,130 in undergraduate courses. The number increased to 9,840 in 2007 / 2008, out of which 6,550 Pakistani students were postgraduate and 3,290 were undergraduate." Yet the nation is facing a huge loss of people who are educated and the left over are only agriculture and business people who own some business. This whole map shows that in coming years, people with young age normally between 18 to 38, when people prefer to study and make their career ladder will be very less in Pakistan. Only old age people will remain in the country that don't want to travel abroad because of the huge expenditure of travelling and living as they own no jobs and are dependent up on their children. Even if children are settled out in abroad they prefer to live in their own country due to high cost of disease treatment in western countries.
Children of parents having huge amount of earning in Pakistan can never imagine their children studying in Pakistan after 12th grade college education. They have enough money to send their children abroad and spend thousands of US dollars on them. Moreover those children don't have to study much for this guaranteed future. They don't have to struggle much in college for good grades because they are not going to take admissions in Pakistani university on merit basis. Paying overseas tuition fee in good international university doesn't require a transcript having percentage in 80's or in 90's. Those universities believe in only big bank accounts of those parents in Pakistan. A heavy bank account guarantees admission in any university you desire. Not only this, but the students visa depended on this also. In country like Pakistan where the lack of basic living needs are to be fought in middle and lower class of people, new graduates when face unemployment or low salary, end up in moving abroad to support their families and for better life prospects. Now a days settling in gulf has been a new and cheap moving for those who can't afford going to western and expensive countries. Pakistani seems to lose the faith on the country's future and so they want to move where there is possibility, but don't want to stay back here to help the nation.
We have to think over it seriously and should go for the solution for this undermined riddle. No matter if you are nurse, doctor, engineer or you are someone who works as a plumber or electrician, every one possess the right to safe the future of Pakistan. My humbly request to the society leaders is to set standards for the basic needs of people and to establish institutions regarding long term future planning for the society demands and abilities and to take steps for improvement of living standards, otherwise there will be nothing but just a territory on the map whose existence doesn't matter to world .
BRAIN DRAIN; A REVIEW
By: MARIA GUL
Understanding Earn Money Surveys Peter Wicked Review Breast Enlargement Finance - Assured Monetary Help No Budget Film Making - Low Cost Film Making Review What Is This Hype All About? Traffic Mayhem Review Vitamin A Reviews Movie Reviews Must Have Information Herpeset Review Paycheck today advance-Take you out from financial difficulties Hp Compaq 6730b Nn205ea Review Ten Best Methods To Keep Fit On A Budget Skin GenX Review Money - The Currency Of Fools And Idiots