Blocking Brain Drain

In a world where human affairs are increasingly becoming brain games, brain drain is a serious handicap for a nation. Naturally gifted people are rare, and nurturing talent in individuals and retaining it for the community’s benefit is a matter of complex mechanisms. However, the complexity of such mechanisms emerges as a challenge only when a community intends to build them. But why do brains get drained from one land to another? This is invariably about quality of life and opportunities. It is not only about the quality of educational institutions but also about opportunities for jobs and chances of settling there. The quality of educational institutions is not a stand-alone factor causing brain drain. Yet, foreign universities setting up their clones here, independently or as part of the existing university system, are very welcome. What is of critical importance is not their quality as such but their terms of reference. Meanwhile, it is a more gratifying matter that Indian universities are setting up their campuses abroad, and so is the intent to turn formality into functionalism in the education system.

Niraj Kumar Jha