Iran's brain drain
Encyclopedia
According to the International Monetary Fund
, the Islamic Republic of Iran ranks first in "brain drain
" among 61 "developing" and "less developed" countries it measured.
More than 180,000 Iranians leave the Islamic Republic
every year, and an estimated 25% of all Iranians with post-secondary education now live abroad in "developed" countries of the OECD
. Causes of the drain are attributed by some to a "tight domestic job market" and "strict social codes" imposed by the Islamic government
. The political crackdown following the 2009 election protests
is said to have created a "spreading refugee exodus" of elite Iranians. It has also been reported that CIA is running a covert operation codenamed "Braindrain Project" with the aim of luring away Iran's nuclear talent thus undermining Iran's nuclear program infrastructure.
The CIA
estimates that 77% of 51 million of Iranians aged 15 and over can read and write. A significant majority of this population is at or approaching collegiate levels. Among the factors contributing to the brain drain are "economic well-being and better educational prospects abroad. The inability of the home country to respond to its citizens' needs, coupled with high unemployment rates and a general lack of intellectual and social security, all contribute to the brain drain. Additionally, self-censorship prevents people from thinking and writing freely, a limitation that makes both scientific and social science research extremely difficult."
Intense competition for university seats in Iran also plays a key role. Only about 11% of the approximately 1.5 million people who take exams annually are accepted into a university. Even after acquiring an undergraduate degree, young people find there are few jobs available. According to official statistics, of the 270,000 university graduates entering the labor market each year, an estimated 75,000 can find jobs. The flight of human capital costs the government over $38 billion annually, two times the revenues received from selling oil. Under the provisions of a five-year development plan, the country is trying to create jobs for its unemployed population, though the results of these efforts have not yet materialized. Consequently, the country remains unable to benefit from its educated diaspora
or its pool of unemployed experts at home."
. Emigration from Iran is said by one source to have started in earnest with conscription for the Iran-Iraq War
. The Islamic government's need for fresh troops and the high mortality rate of those troops led to the flight of draft-age Iranian men to other countries.
Another factor may have been the cultural revolution, a part of the Islamic revolution. On 12 June 1980 the Cultural Revolution shut down Iran's Higher Education system for over a year to completely overhaul and Islamicize it, purging many students and faculty. Nonetheless, the flight abroad of educated Iranians was commented on as early as Oct 31 of 1980, when its importance was disparaged by the founder of the Islamic Republic in Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini:
The trend continued during the Iran-Iraq war
, and after a post-war relative calm, picked up once again during the unprecedented incursion of the clerical establishment in Iranian universities, the last firm bastion of Iran's reformists. In November 2005 a cleric became chancellor of the University of Tehran
, replacing Dr. Faraji-dana. Hojjatol Eslam Abbasali Amid Zanjani
(عباسعلی عميد زنجانی) holds no academic degree, and is known for his strong ties to Ayatollah Khomeini. This is the first time ever that Iran's clerical establishment replaces the traditional academia to head a major academic institution. He has however written several books and has served on the faculty of the College of Law as an expert on Islamic Jurisprudence.
Such trends are thought to be accelerating what many see as Iran's largest exodus of talented faculty, students, and researches to western Europe
, Canada
, and the United States
. The lengthy list of Iranian chairs and directors of academia in these countries is arguably a sound index of this reality. Iran's Brain Drain has become a focus of the media both domestically and internationally. Some blame an impoverished job market (which in turn is blamed by many on western imposed Economic sanctions
), while others blame a notorious tightening social system. As a symptom of this, in 2006, Iran's president promised to eradicate all universities from what he called "the liberal and secular influence".
A report by The Washington Prism in Jan 2006 claims that the International Monetary Fund
considers Iran
ranked highest in Brain Drain among "developing" countries, with an estimated 180,000 people exiting Iran per year. IRNA reports the figure to be 200,000.
And yet in spite of this situation and Iran's technological and industrial isolation due to political conditions in the past 25 years, Iran continues to maintain high levels of education and research in few major universities, although mostly at undergraduate level. Iranian students continue to win technical tournaments in Robotics
, Computer Science, and other fields of engineering and science every year (example), and Iranians continue to increase the number of their publications in technical journals despite their highly limited facilities and resources.
The high level of competition creates a tense atmosphere for many prospective students. Many of the better students however eventually end up migrating to western Europe and North America due to Iran's inability to absorb this highly talented potential workforce into its current job market after graduation. The majority of the Iran's best faculty and skilled specialists also live outside Iran for the same reasons. Other sources also verify that Iran has been topping for some time now. According to the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, there are approximately 50,000 Iranian students currently studying abroad.
In February 2003, the Iran National Science Foundation
, was established to promote science and technology in Iran and benefit the welfare of those engaged in research.
Another institution founded to deal with the welfare of Iranians in Iran working in the sciences and technology is Iran National Geniuses foundation.
Furthermore Iran has tried to compensate for the brain drain by introducing the Graduate Record Bill, which calls for internalization and expansion of education at the graduate level, thus increasing the number of graduates.
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
, the Islamic Republic of Iran ranks first in "brain drain
Brain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
" among 61 "developing" and "less developed" countries it measured.
More than 180,000 Iranians leave the Islamic Republic
Islamic republic
Islamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian...
every year, and an estimated 25% of all Iranians with post-secondary education now live abroad in "developed" countries of the OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...
. Causes of the drain are attributed by some to a "tight domestic job market" and "strict social codes" imposed by the Islamic government
Islamic government
*For the states which call themselves Islamic republics, see Islamic Republic*For the book by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called Islamic Government, or Islamic Government: Guardianship of the Jurist, see Hokumat-e Islami : Velayat-e faqih ...
. The political crackdown following the 2009 election protests
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
is said to have created a "spreading refugee exodus" of elite Iranians. It has also been reported that CIA is running a covert operation codenamed "Braindrain Project" with the aim of luring away Iran's nuclear talent thus undermining Iran's nuclear program infrastructure.
Background
Between 1991 and 1999, job creation in Iran could provide for "less than 60 percent of those entering the job market", according to a 2003 United Nations Common Country Assessment of Iran's development.The CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
estimates that 77% of 51 million of Iranians aged 15 and over can read and write. A significant majority of this population is at or approaching collegiate levels. Among the factors contributing to the brain drain are "economic well-being and better educational prospects abroad. The inability of the home country to respond to its citizens' needs, coupled with high unemployment rates and a general lack of intellectual and social security, all contribute to the brain drain. Additionally, self-censorship prevents people from thinking and writing freely, a limitation that makes both scientific and social science research extremely difficult."
Intense competition for university seats in Iran also plays a key role. Only about 11% of the approximately 1.5 million people who take exams annually are accepted into a university. Even after acquiring an undergraduate degree, young people find there are few jobs available. According to official statistics, of the 270,000 university graduates entering the labor market each year, an estimated 75,000 can find jobs. The flight of human capital costs the government over $38 billion annually, two times the revenues received from selling oil. Under the provisions of a five-year development plan, the country is trying to create jobs for its unemployed population, though the results of these efforts have not yet materialized. Consequently, the country remains unable to benefit from its educated diaspora
Iranian citizens abroad
The term Iranians abroad or Iranian diaspora refers to the Iranian people born in Iran but living outside of Iran with their children.As of 2010, there are an estimated four to five million Iranians living abroad, mostly in North America, Europe, Persian Gulf States, Turkey, Australia and the...
or its pool of unemployed experts at home."
History
According to at least one source, Iran had no significant emigration or brain drain to wealthier countries before the Islamic RevolutionIranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. Emigration from Iran is said by one source to have started in earnest with conscription for the Iran-Iraq War
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
. The Islamic government's need for fresh troops and the high mortality rate of those troops led to the flight of draft-age Iranian men to other countries.
Another factor may have been the cultural revolution, a part of the Islamic revolution. On 12 June 1980 the Cultural Revolution shut down Iran's Higher Education system for over a year to completely overhaul and Islamicize it, purging many students and faculty. Nonetheless, the flight abroad of educated Iranians was commented on as early as Oct 31 of 1980, when its importance was disparaged by the founder of the Islamic Republic in Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini:
- "They say there is a brain drain. Let these decayed brains flee. Do not mourn them, let them pursue their own definitions of being. Is every brain with - what you call - science in it honorable? Shall we sit and mourn the brains that escaped? Shall we worry about these brains fleeing to the US and the UK? Let these brains flee and be replaced by more appropriate brains. Now that they (the Islamic Republic) are filtering, you are sitting worried why they are executing [people]? Why are you discussing these rotten brains of [these] lost people? Why are you questioning Islam? Are they fleeing? To hell with them. Let them flee. They were not scientific brains. All the better. Don't be concerned. They should escape. [Iran] is not a place for them to live any more. These fleeing brains are of no use to us. Let them flee. If you know that this is no place for you, you should flee too."
The trend continued during the Iran-Iraq war
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
, and after a post-war relative calm, picked up once again during the unprecedented incursion of the clerical establishment in Iranian universities, the last firm bastion of Iran's reformists. In November 2005 a cleric became chancellor of the University of Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
, replacing Dr. Faraji-dana. Hojjatol Eslam Abbasali Amid Zanjani
Abbasali Amid Zanjani
Ayatollah Abbasali Amid Zanjani was an Iranian politician and cleric. He was the only cleric president of University of Tehran, served from 2005 to 2008. -Early life:...
(عباسعلی عميد زنجانی) holds no academic degree, and is known for his strong ties to Ayatollah Khomeini. This is the first time ever that Iran's clerical establishment replaces the traditional academia to head a major academic institution. He has however written several books and has served on the faculty of the College of Law as an expert on Islamic Jurisprudence.
Such trends are thought to be accelerating what many see as Iran's largest exodus of talented faculty, students, and researches to western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The lengthy list of Iranian chairs and directors of academia in these countries is arguably a sound index of this reality. Iran's Brain Drain has become a focus of the media both domestically and internationally. Some blame an impoverished job market (which in turn is blamed by many on western imposed Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
), while others blame a notorious tightening social system. As a symptom of this, in 2006, Iran's president promised to eradicate all universities from what he called "the liberal and secular influence".
A report by The Washington Prism in Jan 2006 claims that the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
considers Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ranked highest in Brain Drain among "developing" countries, with an estimated 180,000 people exiting Iran per year. IRNA reports the figure to be 200,000.
And yet in spite of this situation and Iran's technological and industrial isolation due to political conditions in the past 25 years, Iran continues to maintain high levels of education and research in few major universities, although mostly at undergraduate level. Iranian students continue to win technical tournaments in Robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, Computer Science, and other fields of engineering and science every year (example), and Iranians continue to increase the number of their publications in technical journals despite their highly limited facilities and resources.
Educational competitiveness
To gain admission into universities, Iranian applicants must take a national entrance exam given once a year. Roughly two million applicants take part each year, but only the top 100,000 (or the top 5%) are given free entrance to universities. To gain entry into the top caliber of schools, a score rank of under 5,000 is usually required. To gain entry into a medical school in Tehran, a score rank of under 100 is desired.The high level of competition creates a tense atmosphere for many prospective students. Many of the better students however eventually end up migrating to western Europe and North America due to Iran's inability to absorb this highly talented potential workforce into its current job market after graduation. The majority of the Iran's best faculty and skilled specialists also live outside Iran for the same reasons. Other sources also verify that Iran has been topping for some time now. According to the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, there are approximately 50,000 Iranian students currently studying abroad.
Efforts to reverse trend
In recent years several measures have been taken to slow down the brain drain phenomenon by providing work and research facilities for academics and highly skilled workers.In February 2003, the Iran National Science Foundation
Iran National Science Foundation
The Iran National Science Foundation is an Iranian government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the fields of science, engineering and medical science....
, was established to promote science and technology in Iran and benefit the welfare of those engaged in research.
Another institution founded to deal with the welfare of Iranians in Iran working in the sciences and technology is Iran National Geniuses foundation.
Furthermore Iran has tried to compensate for the brain drain by introducing the Graduate Record Bill, which calls for internalization and expansion of education at the graduate level, thus increasing the number of graduates.
Further reading
- Migration Information Source - Iran's entry
See also
- Iranian citizens abroadIranian citizens abroadThe term Iranians abroad or Iranian diaspora refers to the Iranian people born in Iran but living outside of Iran with their children.As of 2010, there are an estimated four to five million Iranians living abroad, mostly in North America, Europe, Persian Gulf States, Turkey, Australia and the...
- Higher Education in IranHigher education in IranIran 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 and Ministry of Health and Medical Education .-Pre-Islamic...
- Science and technology in IranScience and technology in IranPersia was a cradle of science in earlier times. Persian scientists contributed to the current understanding of nature, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy. Persians made important contributions to algebra and chemistry, invented the wind-power machine, and the first distillation of alcohol...
- Economy of IranEconomy of IranThe economy of Iran is the eighteenth largest in the world by purchasing power parity and according to Iranian officials' claims is going to become the 12th largest by 2015. The economy of Iran is a mixed and transition economy with a large public sector and some 50% of the economy centrally planned...
- International rankings of Iran
External links
- International Migration, Remittances and the Brain Drain in Group of 15Group of 15The Group of 15 was established at the Ninth Non-Aligned Movement Summit Meeting in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in September 1989.This informal forum was set up to foster cooperation and provide input for other international groups, such as the World Trade Organization and the Group of Eight...
Countries