Future and Pakistan
A: Why can’t Pakistanis do something right for a change! People like them are ruining legitimate students’ chance of going abroad and pursuing their dreams of attaining doctorates.
S: What are you going on about?
A: Around 177 MPhil and PhD scholars who availed the Higher Education Commission’s scholarships abroad have failed to complete their education, while at least 110 others did not return to Pakistan and managed to settle in the host countries. Why will the government give the scholarship and invest in people if they do not wish to come back and contribute to the Pakistani economy?
S: You do realise that one of the requisites of the scholarship programmes makes it binding upon the scholars to return to Pakistan immediately upon completing their studies to serve the Government of Pakistan for six years. Don’t you think that is too big a price to pay to be sent abroad? If you complete a degree after three four years of intense hard work, and then come back and work for menial jobs that pay very less, anyone would be inclined to look elsewhere for better opportunities.
A: This is not an excuse. Once they work for six years they are free to go and work wherever they want, and it is not like they do not know of this clause before they sign up for the scholarship. It is plain cheating by agreeing to something and then not honouring it after you get what you want.
S: You are right there but if it were me and I were being offered money to go study I would be very tempted to work and live in another country instead of coming back to the dismal job market. The government needs to invest in improving employment opportunities so people actually want to come back and work here.