knowledge has no horizons

Economy of any country is determined by its workforce and natural resources it has, and India is not an exception for this. India having a history of cultural richness is now taking decisive steps to set its foot on the so-called developed world, and is already taking the lead in the developing countries along with the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. But the question that is almost unassailable is whether India will survive its economy without its highly educated workforce.

India has a rich-in-knowledge workforce, and it is obvious from the fact that the countries like the USA, the UK and some others have outsourced jobs to and off shored their branches in India. It is always winning the race of getting outsourcing from foreign countries among other Asian giants like China, Philippines and Thailand and the fact that should not be forgotten is that it is because it has highly educated workforce. To keep this stand firm, India has to have the workforce in its hand.

It is no exaggeration to say that India has now shifted its attention from its natural resources to knowledge resources for its economy, and as is expected resulted in the positive. Institutions like IITs, IIMs and Universities all over India keep on contributing in creating educated minds. It is estimated in a survey that around 5,000 PhDs pass out every year and about 300,000 engineering students graduate annually in India. Yet the thing that is threatening India is the acute shortage of talents in the fields of science, engineering and technology India is to face in the future, or to put in simple term, India is going to suffer the brain drain in the very future.

What is brain drain? Brain drain, also called human capital flight, is defined as the migration of educated workforce to a foreign country, almost with the intention settling there permanently. A 1969 UNESCO report describes brain drain as an abnormal form of scientific exchange between countries, characterized by a one-way flow in the favour of the most highly developed countries. Brain drain can occur either when individuals who study abroad and complete their education do not return to their home country, or when individuals educated in the home country emigrate for higher wages or better opportunities (thanks Wikipedia). Of the two kinds of brain drain, the erstwhile is less severe when compared to the second as the second exploits the intellect gained from the home country to earn for foreign countries.

India had once the history of having excess of workforce and produced in more abundance economists, statisticians, etc. that it could provide with jobs. According to a report, there were around 75,000 unemployed engineers in India in 1965. Let the past live in the past. L.M. Naik of L & T was told to have reported in 2005 that his company requires 2,000 fresh engineers every year to keep up with the pace. It is the case of a single company, but India has big companies like this in thousands, both local and foreign. Suffered from brain overflow in the past, what is frightening India at present is brain drain. What caused this?

Occidental countries are always interested in utilizing the Indian intellect to make themselves richer than ever, and considering this godsend opportunity, the young educated Indian minds are yearning to earn their money in dollars. They are not, of course, seeking after impossibilities as they have acquired what foreign companies require, and get succeeded to secure for themselves jobs in foreign countries, forgetting their home land.

What are the measures to be taken to prevent this? What will be India’s future if this continues? Whether any law is to be implemented to prevent people going for work in foreign countries? All these questions become unnecessary if the every educated mind in India starts thinking of their own country and its development.

Click here to read all my poems