2011-08-12
Stop the Brain Drain
As a part of the world that is still developing, Africa faces many difficult social and economic problems. But who would have thought that one of its problems is the brain drain?
Usually we think of the brain drain as Russian scientists going to work in America, or European financial or computer experts being tempted away to other countries by the offer of huge salaries and lots of perks such as accommodation, pension payments, and lots of bonuses.
However, even in some of the poorest countries in the world, a brain drain is happening that is taking desperately needed knowledge away from the poorer nation and giving it to the wealthier country.
The classic example of this sort of brain drain is the profession of nursing. It takes several years of training before nurses are experienced and knowledgeable, and usually the training is paid for by the state, since nursing is one of those key professions that every country needs.
So having paid to train a nurse over several years, what can be more depressing than to see that qualified individual immediately take a job overseas at a salary that the home nation cannot hope to match?
Many African countries are seeing this drain happen right now. Kenya is one of the worst hit spots. Trained in the country, having used the scarce educational resources to get a qualification, so many nurses are then responding to adverts for nurses jobs from wealthier nations and leaving Kenya behind.
Apart from the loss of skilled staff in a key profession, there are other knock-on social effects from this migration. Often, the parent or parents have to leave children behind, in the care of grandparents or other relatives, who then rely upon the money sent to them by the migrant workers.
It is a vicious circle that has no easy end, but at some point both rich and poor nations are going to have to address this modern brain drain.
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