Manjushree Adhikari

Around 7,500 students graduated from the five universities in Nepal this year alone, with many stating they are already wary of lack of job opportunities in the country and planning to search for greener pastures abroad. On the flip side, industries across the country report a lack of skilled human resources as the major challenge facing them.

Putting the two together still simply does not add up.

JABBING FOR JOBS

More than anything else, the root problem lies in our education system itself, or so says Lekhnath Poudel, under secretary at the Ministry of Education (MoE). “The education system of Nepal neither equips nor encourages students to become entrepreneurs,“ he claims, adding that the job market is also saturated. Stating that the system is primarily massoriented and hardly focused on research and quality, he asserts this has led to fewer job opportunities for young people here.

A case in point being is that of Bijaya Shrestha, who is completing his masters in business administration at Lord Buddha Education Foundation. “After acquiring my bachelors in business administration from Pokhara University a year ago, I searched high and low for a job relevant to my field of study.
Even though I believed I was a suitable candidate for openings in numerous organisations, I lost out to other applicants probably because of nepotism, which is highly prevalent in organisations today,“ he laments. Disheartened by the subsequent rejections, Shrestha decided to pursue academics rather than let the situation bring him down. “I got so frustrated in my job search that I don't plan on going through the same ordeal after completing my masters. I'm looking into courses being offered by universities in the UK and plan to apply to some,“ he shares.

On the other hand, Dr Bidya Nath Koirala, an educationist and professor at Tribhuvan University, claims the prime reason for students opting to go abroad rather than pursue a career in Nepal is because of the elusive dream of a more affluent life there. “Also, there is certain stigma attached to some jobs,“ he says, explaining that Nepalis would not hesitate to take up jobs such as washing dishes when they go abroad, which would be considered menial and beneath them in Nepal.

According to Koirala, lack of infrastructure, expertise, technology and courses, not to mention a saturated job market and less scope for career advancement encourages students to opt for higher education abroad. He says most students in technical fields like medicine, engineering and nursing go to developed nations like the US, UK and Australia. “As there is high demand for nurses in Australia, more than 60 per cent of nursing students from Nepal choose to go there for attractive salary and perks,“ he says.
Koirala also adds that the government has not taken any initiative to retain skilled human resource in the country or promote industries and job creation as the leaders are engaged in their own political disputes.

CENTRED ON CONVENIENCE

Industrialists also agree that the government has not done anything in regard to discouraging the huge brain drain in the country . According to Suraj Vaidhya, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries, the Russian government spent a huge amount of resources and infrastructure a couple of decades back to send young people to study abroad, but also invested in creating a conducive environment to lure them back. “Today, Russia has one of the strongest economies in the world,“ he asserts, adding that Nepal could replicate the same here if only the political parties learned to rise above their petty interests and focus on the greater good of the nation.

Official records state that some 1,500 people -mostly in the productive age from 20 to 24, according to Central Bureau of Statistics -leave the country every day. Data from MoE reveals that 11,912 students had acquired no objection letter (NOL) to study abroad and obtained certificates to go to 53 countries, in the last year alone.

Rajendra Baral, president of Educational Consultancy Association of Nepal, says, “The unstable and deteriorating political situation is the main reason for the productive workforce of the country leaving.“ Along with the lack of practical and relevant curriculum in universities, he believes it is dearth of lucrative job market that is persuading more young people to try their luck in foreign lands. However, Vaidya refuses to accept there is shortage of job opportunities in the country.

“Students prefer toiling abroad to relocating out of the capital, where there are plenty of options up for grabs,“ he says, stressing that every other industry reports a lack of skilled human resources.

Also rejecting the notion that Nepal lacks potentials for advancement, Vaidya highlights that there are tremendous prospects on several fronts -ranging from the service sector to developing infrastructure. He states that investors are willing to invest on infrastructure, service industry, tourism, agriculture, et cetera. “Although there are concerns about security, our situation is still not as bad as some nations,“ he says.

Further stating that investment in certain sectors like financial institutions and automobiles are increasing, he claims the problem lies with the younger generation that is more urban-centric.
LESSONS TO LEARN While Nepal reels under the vicious cycle of an education system that needs upgrading, a youth force that is more focused on the capital city and a metropolitan lifestyle where the job market is saturated, increasing brain drain and industries facing a severe manpower crunch, serious thought to finding a solution is needed. Nepal's two neighbours have managed massive strides in correcting a similar situation that they once faced.

A study titled The grass is indeed greener in India and China for returnee entrepreneurs reveals that over the past decade, poverty and underdevelopment -the brain drain factors that once drove the vast majority of US-educated immigrants to remain in the US rather than return home -has given way to start up friendly business environments in India and China. Most returnees, according to the study conduct ed by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in April 2011, say the entrepreneurial advantages are better in their home countries, where they can benefit from lower operating costs, heightened professional recognition, greater access to local markets and a better quality of life than they could attain in the United States.

Salaries were the only advantage the respondents attributed to the US, with 64 per cent of the Indian respondents stating their salaries were better there than at home while 43 per cent of Chinese respondents said that salaries were higher in the US and 20 per cent stated they were about the same in the US and China.

These results bring to the fore the question about why Nepal cannot apply the same formula for a reverse brain drain.
Poudel says, “The government is serious about the issue of the brain drain and discussions are ongoing about ways in which we can not only retain the educated youth but also encourage those that have left to return back.“

While the government allegdly is busy in discussions that usually leads nowhere, some students who plan to go abroad -to study or work or both -may decide to return home for enitrely different reasons. “I wouldn't want to settle abroad. In fact, I wouldn't even be leaving if there were opportunities in Nepal. Eventually, I plan to come back after a few years and start my own business in my hometown, Chitwan,“ says Shrestha.

Yet, the fact remains that as of today most young people, who bid their hometown adieu and go abroad for whatever reasons, rarely return.

Published on: 17 March 2013 | The Himalayan Times