Every year, during the winter and fall admission season, a swarm of Bangladeshi youngsters apply to pursue their undergraduate studies abroad. In 2019-2020, just before the pandemic- Covid-19 had hit the streets, around 8,800 students applied to the US alone. Although it is commendable that so many Bangladeshi students want to take their talents overseas and study hard to make a global impact, the question remains, is Bangladesh getting the draw of the short straw here? With so many bright minds choosing universities abroad over Bangladesh at present, the age-old conundrum of brain drain resurfaces naturally.
Brain drain has been one of the most talked-about things in Bangladesh's academic and professional sphere for a long time. Students with high academic achievements leave the country in masses and never return in most cases. As a result, the brain of the country, which is the talent of the youngsters, gets transferred to another country. Since applying abroad has become so much easier with the revolutionisation of technology, more students are taking a shot at abroad education, sparking the brain drain debate.
The phenomenon is mainly seen when the students pass their higher secondary certificate and undergraduate degrees. They subsequently leave Bangladesh to pursue a bachelor's or a master's/PhD degree respectively.
Prince (pseudonym) is a student of a reputed engineering university in the country. He said,"I do not have the intention of leaving Bangladesh for good. All of my friends and family are here. I am also not a very adventurous person who would go around and explore the world, but the present circumstances have made me rethink my decisions. There are not many jobs in my field in Bangladesh. More than 60 per cent of my seniors leave the country for graduate studies, never returning. Rest get stuck in jobs completely unrelated to our field of study."
Bangladesh is a growing economy, but still, the country does not have opportunities for people from every possible field. Granted that Bangladesh is a developing country with the potential to make great changes to a lot of sectors but this is not the only factor that comes into play here. Many people also leave the country despite having a good and stable job back home to pursue a new adventure in an unknown foreign land for a better standard of living. Hence, in a lot of cases, studying abroad is the segway for living in a developed country and enjoying the facilities that come along with it.
Brain drain itself is a historical phenomenon, and human migration has been persistent throughout much of human history. Human migration to relatively better places is innate, and the tide only seems to go down when the native land becomes as developed as the desired destination.
Mahmud Hasan Mahim, a third-year Development Studies student at the University of Dhaka, elaborated on this topic, offering his own insights, "Though the term 'Brain Drain' refers to the migration of scientists and technologists from post-war Europe to North America and of Indian scientists and engineers to the United Kingdom from the 20th century onwards, it's not the point brain drain started from. If one looks closely into the lists of scholars garnered in ancient empires, many artists, philosophers and technologists from foreign lands should be given notice."
According to a survey by the World Economic Forum carried out in mid-January of 2020, as much as 82 per cent of young people aged between 15-29 in Bangladesh expressed their desire to leave the country for good. Although no similar survey is available for the 2000s, it can quickly be concluded that the number of people willing to leave the country has remained more or less constant. As per the Fund for Peace data, the brain drain index for Bangladesh was 7.6 in 2019, which is worse than the global average of 5.55 index points.
Despite all these negatives, the whole phenomenon of brain drain can be interpreted from a different perspective. Jawad Hoque, who recently got his PhD in civil engineering from the United States, said,"I have seen about half of my classmates pursuing higher studies and better opportunities at places other than Bangladesh. This can certainly be called 'brain drain,' but I rather see it as 'brain relocation' since all of us actively contribute to Bangladesh's remittance. In the last few years, especially during the pandemic years, remittances from the USA to Bangladesh have almost equalled remittances from the countries in the middle east to Bangladesh. Of course, a majority of the highly educated population going abroad and staying there is a concern. But it is generally outside of the country where their skills are more readily sought and utilised without grinding through the usual gears."
Once being one of the primary suppliers of high-quality engineering graduates abroad, our neighbouring country India has turned the situation around a bit. As per the Fund for Peace data, India had an index point of 6.1, which is lower than the one we have, and it has only been made possible due to the rapid rise of some urban tech hubs in some of India's largest cities.
Although brain drain is more prevalent than ever and will continue to prevail in the future, it is not necessarily the doomsday of Bangladesh. With so many bright minds of Bangladesh reaching new heights and breaking barriers abroad, our country is on the verge of creating a revolution like our neighbouring country India. At present, most of the big players in Silicon Valley are run by Indian CEOs. Hence, with more Bangladeshis getting access to world-class education every year, let us await the radical changes that our boys and girls will bring very soon on the global stage.
- Sunday, 19 May 2024 |
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