Brain Drain

A UNITED Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report in 1969, had defined brain drain as, ’an abnormal form of scientific exchange between countries, characterised by a one- way flow in favour of the most highly developed countries’. Almost four decades later, the definition of brain drain has not changed a great deal with talented students still leaving the shores of developing countries in pursuit of better opportunities in the developed nations.
To think of it, India has become the outsourcing hub of the world, where all international companies are also setting shop. But this outsourcing has also meant that the talented bunch of students, who cannot find good job opportunities in India have to travel abroad in search of better job profiles. More than 25 per cent of the medical staff in America and the Britain consists of doctors, who attended medical school elsewhere. These are the same students who got trained in India, Pakistan or China and have now moved abroad for better opportunities. In the year 2008, maximum students going to the United States of America in order to study were from India. Most of these students, after finishing their education, get recruited and more often than not settle abroad.

But still brain drain continues to be a cause of concern for India, for we are getting used to thousands of students going abroad every year for education. Former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam had said that reverse brain drain will have to begin if India is to become a developed nation in the future. But the percentage of students coming back after studying overseas is not very high and hence efforts will have to be made to reduce the number of students going out in the first place. For this, we will have to revamp our education system and also include more higher education institutions in the country so that students do not have to look for alternatives elsewhere. The migration of students might have helped in ’brand India’