The term brain drain was coined by the spokesmen of the Royal Society of London to describe the outflow of scientists and technologists to the United States and Canada in the early 1950s. Since then the term has become synonymous with human capital or the migration of highly educated individuals from the developing, mostly third world countries, to the developed ones.
Over the past few decades, more since Pakistan has been lurched full throttle into economic and political chaos, the phenomenon has become the bane of the society. The number of repining Pakistanis who wish to settle abroad is rising every year and the ones who are actually capable of breaking loose are coincidentally the educated ones, contributing alarmingly to the growing crisis of the Pakistani brain drain. To leave the country and settle abroad has become the zeitgeist of current day Pakistan.
Unfortunately either the government does not realize the severity of the problem or prefers to brush it under the proverbial rug like so many other issues. The migration of the Pakistani professionals to foreign countries, namely, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand has increased considerably with young educated and skilled Pakistani such as doctors, IT Experts, scientists and other professional either already gone or planning to leave. The fact that workers from all skill levels are losing or have completely lost faith in the economic future of the country was revealed by the Gallup survey that indicated that even the semi-skilled and unskilled workers want to migrate outside in search of better prospects. 62 percent of the adults who were surveyed expressed the desire to migrate abroad while 38 percent said that they would prefer to settle outside permanently.
It is often thought that the transmittance of funds by the ones who leave the country as a result of brain drain is a good enough substitute for these individuals actually staying in the country and working. But that idea is valid only to a minimal extent as there can be no substitute for services these professionals could be rendering the country by staying within the borders and adding to a far rapid economic, scientific and technological development of the country. Again, that can only happen if the proper infrastructure is provided to them whereby the country could earn manifold the money it receives from transmittance from the migrated workers.
According to Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan of George Washington University every doctor who leaves a poor nation leaves a hole that cannot be filled. He says,
“That creates enormous problems for the source country and the educational and health leaders in the country who are attempting to provide healers”.
Research shows that at 20 countries export more than 10 percent of their physician work force to richer nations with nearly no reciprocation as the US exports less than one-tenth of 1 percent of its doctors. Economic factor is primarily responsible for this mass migration of the scientific community from poorer, host countries like Pakistan. In Pakistan the value placed for a scientist with an advanced level degree is Grade 17 which comes with a salary that is totally insufficient to meet the basic requirements of a family. So it is no surprise that the advanced countries are exploiting the situation by offering these individuals far more handsome incentives.
Asif J. Mir writes in ‘Pakistani Think Tank’,
“We cannot achieve long-term economic growth by exporting our human resource. In the new world order, people with knowledge drive economic growth. We talk a lot of poverty alleviation in Pakistan. But who is going to alleviate the poverty-the uncreative bureaucracy that created poverty? Hypothetically, the most talented should lead the people, create wealth and eradicate poverty and corruption”.
Phillip Bonosky, contributing editor of Political Affairs, writes in his book Afghanistan-Washington’s Secret War.
“Pakistan seems to have nothing but problems. Endemic poverty which was Great Britain’s imperial gift to the colonial world-a poverty on which the sun never sets-skilled (badly needed in Pakistan itself) abroad in search for jobs. Hardly any country has suffered more from the brain drain than has Pakistan. Nearly 3,000 (annually) graduates of Pakistan’s medical colleges are jobless; most go abroad. The educated see their future not in their home country but in any country but their own”.
According to a report in the The Observer, London,
“Pakistan is facing a massive brain drain as record numbers of people desperate to leave their politically unstable, economically chaotic country swamp foreign embassies with visa applications-The biggest number of applications for British visas are from Pakistan. Doctors, lawyers and IT professional and leading the exodus, but laborers and farmhands are joining the queues of malnourished people who gather daily outside the US embassy in Islamabad”.
The greatest effect of brain drain on any country is what is seen in Pakistan today; rampant corruption, poor administrations, lack of motivation and a fast diminishing nationalism. Unless there is nationalism there can be no collective progress and poverty and crime will continue to increase under the umbrella of plethoric apathy. Whatever the solution it needs to come fast and it needs to be come now otherwise – when the educated are away, the uneducated will play – as they are playing at the moment.
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dawa-i-dil: Excellent point.
If anyone wants to turn sour on the idea of emigrating to the West, just try to go through Heathrow or JFK.
They held Edhi at JFK for 8 hours, and then took away his passport, so he was stuck in the US for weeks earlier this year. EDHI!
I unfortunately know too many people who have been harassed at these two airports. It’s almost necessary for every Pakistani (even if you’re on a plane full of Pakistanis).
Moreover …..
despite of all hardships and difficulties…yes..we are proud of being a Pakisatni…we have our own country..own land..and own Identity…where nobody will ever dare to stop his car and said to me ..that “Leave our land”…where nobody will make me naked on lahore International as on Heathrow ..J F Kanday etc..where nobody will look at me suspiciously on tubes..subways..planes….and buses..where i have no fear of FBI..and other agencies…where nobody wll search the call hsitory of my cell on the airports etc etc…..
Yes..we have tough time..but we are proud that we are the 1st Class Citizen of our belovd country..and we have Identity…..and we are not that “Identity-less” US Pako blend…who even not know…whats its real Identity is….and still clinging between 50 50 !
@ Haider ….
yes..thats why in pakisatn..a hindu can reach the seat of the most prestigious post ..the Chief Justice of Pakistan !
“Most of the them are living a lavish life abraod which they deserve by all means.”
That doesn’t mean they aren’t second-class unless they have completely assimilated culturally, socially, etc. (if a woman wears a headscarf, if a person abstains from drinking, then even that is considered not enough… if Muslims refuse to marry non-Muslims then even that is considered not enough… You cannot be comfortable in the West unless getting past all of these and more, and I was born and raised there, I’m speaking from experience).
Even then, the completely assimilated face the occaisonal xenophobe or racist.
It’s even impossible for people’s children to straddle two cultures. A girl who decides to stay within an “Islamic” lifestyle, but while maintaining a Western appearance on the outside, will be harassed by men for it. They won’t rest until they’ve gotten her into bed. It works for both sexes this way, if you’re a part of the culture at that age, then the people see you and everything our (Pakistani or at least Islamic) culture considers personal or private as something they have a right to. At least maintaining a non-Western appearance (via hijab or whatever) gives them the signal that “she’s not worth the trouble to harass or complain about”, but it doesn’t change the mentality or mindset of entitlement that Westerners have with regards to everything. At least the liberal ones’ idealogy keeps it within their borders…
I mention children of this age because of all the Pakistanis who seek to come back to Pakistan or to another Muslim country, that is the reason 99% of the time.
3rd class citizens? What are you talking about? This debate is not focused around ‘cabbies’, the topic is “Brain Drain” and that applies to the top notch talent of Pakistan. Most of the them are living a lavish life abraod which they deserve by all means.
And if their kid is talented enough, he/she could be the next Barack Obama even though he doesnt come from “bhutto” or some “choudhary” family..
But in Pakistan, I still see debate over whether the PM or President or Chief of the staff should be from this province or that, instead of being judged by their capablilities.. what a shame…………….
BRAIN DRAIN IS BETTER THAN BRAIN IN THE DRAIN