Iran; World’s Highest Rate Of Brain Drain

The other day, I read an article on Newsweek Here that comes to be so interesting. I can actually relate to whatever they say, since i was also graduated from Iran’s universities. There is some facts in this article which are very sweet to hear about my country, but somehow bitter too:

In 2003, administrators at Stanford University’s Electrical Engineering Department were startled when a group of foreign students aced the notoriously difficult Ph.D. entrance exam, getting some of the highest scores ever. That the whiz kids weren’t American wasn’t odd; students from Asia and elsewhere excel in U.S. programs. The surprising thing, say Stanford administrators, is that the majority came from one country and one school: Sharif University of Science and Technology in Iran. Source

Iran has a large network of private, public, and state affiliated universities offering degrees in higher education. State-run universities of Iran are under the direct supervision of Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (for non-medical universities) and Ministry of Health and Medical Education (for medical schools).

Sharif University of Technology, University of Tehran, Amirkabir University of Technology, (Tehran Polytechnic), K.N.Toosi University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Isfahan University of Technology, Shiraz University and Tabriz University, ect are generally cited as the most prestigious schools of Iran frequently.

Every year some 1.5 million Iranian high-school students take college-entrance exams. Of those, only about 10 percent make it to the prestigious state schools, with the top 1 percent generally choosing science and finding their way to top spots such as Sharif.

Sharif University of Science and technology – SUT -, is the best university in Iran in the field of science and engineering. I can say, entering  SUT undergraduate college is dream of every single math-physics high school students. Usually top scores in university entrance exam, at first chose the electronical engineering course and some of them really do it for one aim: Taking scholarships from a good university in US, Canada , Australia or the Europe:

Iranian students are developing an international reputation as science superstars. Stanford’s administrators aren’t the only ones to notice. Universities across Canada and Australia, where visa restrictions are lower, report a big boom in the Iranian recruits; Canada has seen its total number of Iranian students grow 240 percent since 1985, while Australian press reports point to a fivefold increase over the past five years, to nearly 1,500.

Iranian students from Sharif and other top schools, such as the University of Tehran and the Isfahan University of Technology, have also become major players in the international Science Olympics, taking home trophies in physics, mathematics, chemistry and robotics. Iranian city of Isfahan recently hosted the International Physics Olympiad—an honor no other Middle Eastern country has enjoyed. Source

Another secret of Sharif’s success is Iran’s highschool system, which places a premium on science and exposes students to subjects Americans don’t encounter until college. This tradition of advanced studies extends into undergraduate programs, with subjects in college that U.S. schools provide only to grad students.
However, if we assume Newsweek article is valid, why Iranian students have this high rate for immigration, if they have best universities in the world?  Why they’re so eager to leave their homeland behind? Sure there are some more for you to know:

So what explains Iran’s record, and that of Sharif in particular? Thanks to poor economic management and a weak regulatory environment. University professors barely make ends meet—the pay is so bad some must even take second jobs as taxi drivers or petty traders. International sanctions also make life difficult, delaying the importation of scientific equipment, for example, and increasing isolation. Until recently, Iranians were banned from publishing in the journals of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the industry’s key international professional association. They also face the indignity of often having their visa applications refused when they try to attend conferences in the West. Source

And moreover:

Iran’s success, in other words, is also the country’s tragedy: students want nothing more than to get away the moment they graduate. That’s a boon for foreign universities and tech firms but a serious source of brain drain for the Islamic republic. There simply are not enough quality jobs for graduates in Iran.
What’s worse, star students who stay in Iran and try to launch businesses complain that predatory government officials demand a cut of their profits or impose unnecessary obstacles. Thus many Iranians who can’t make it to the West head to Dubai instead. As one Sharif grad in the Persian Gulf port city puts it, “Here, our education is properly valued. We are given freedom to succeed. In Iran, we are blocked.” Source

Yes, SUT is good, however It does not mean it has good services or good  chances for  the future or ready jobs for graduated students.

SUT is good, bcs it has good students. Those genius and brainy students who really endure difficulties and try their best in whole their life, bcs of their love for learning and for the love of their country, Iran. At last, there is a day that they realise, their homeland does not really need their brain..

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