No Vacancy “Brain Drain”

I would say, too many applicants for fewer seats obtainable in universities and consequently failure to get admission in professional institutes is actually the notion of “brain drain”. I’d rather consider the aforementioned brain drain a blessing in the given situation. It is inevitable now at least those who can afford, or students’ who are able to get scholarships are going abroad, creating space for freshmen here.


Policy makers are aware of the fact that more than half of our population constitutes adolescents; they have been calling them our greatest treasure & pride. But the irony is that, no development had been done to dwell them except to possibly exploit them for some mere political purpose, if not for anything else. Having most of our population being predominantly youngsters should have sent shivers & goose bumps, setting off alarm bells across campuses to have more of the same developed on an emergency basis.
Higher Education Commission did an incredible job for a couple of years, thanks to Dr Atta-ur-Rehman. His plan of opening campuses of 11 foreign universities here, arranging of scholarships and outreach program etc was marvelous. After the merciless butchery of the HEC after his departure all his efforts of opening those coveted 11 campuses went down the drain, the outreach program bunged up & scholarships vanished.

For instance, the MCAT, only in Punjab this year about 20,000 applicants applied for seats as few as 2000 the private sector took advantage of the shortcoming resulting in mushrooming of private medical colleges which are in reality meant for business. Scores of these private colleges have their first or second year and are charging a minimum fee of 20 lakh. They have exploited parents and seemingly there is no restraint and consequentially no evaluation. Most disquieting fact is that the quality of education is being compromised. Undoubtedly, with such hideos quality of education cases like Imane Malik would be seen more and more frequently in future.

Parents who can afford such phenomenal tuition costs maybe can also meet the expenses of better quality graduate degrees abroad & consequently are sending off their children out of the country.Is this brain drain??

Moreover, employment situation is even worse. Graduates are being produced by the dozens with absoltuely no job opening for such mass produced MBA’s, IT experts and are left to do odd jobs even manning the cubicles at call centers which they would have achieved without the expensive education they had previously acquired. Is this not brain drain?

Brain drain happens when state of affairs around does not let people use their brain to the best of their ability. Those who are departing are at least sending off their remittances back home.

Graduates these days are opting for postgraduate degrees abroad instead of grieving over redundancy, which I take as a positive approach. Providentially, scholarships and financial aid availability from their from foreign universities, even after the dreary downfall of HEC.

Brain will be drained if they are left to rot at homes after their FSc/A’s because they are incapable to get admission anywhere coz their are not enough seats on hand for them or brain drain would ensue if even after a graduate degree, unemployment leave them dejected, disheartened & perturbed.

Pakistan has more than enough brain, to be drained so easily. Solution is easy – Fix govt policies, revive HEC, build new universities, conduct evening classes in campuses, improve economy, combat unemployment – the much mourned “brain drain” that has already happened will also reverse.

Failure to execute this indicates incapability of higher authorities, and their incapacity to hold the righteous designations. In such case, instead of drenching over brain drain, one should shout for change!!

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