The Islamic Republic of Iran, and three other countries, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan, have the dubious distinction of being the countries with the worst brain drain problem in the world.
Due to its negative cultural, psychological, and political repercussions and its other negative effects in the process of destroying the national reputation, the phenomenon of the immigration of the country’s educated citizens is a serious threat for Iran and has raised concerns throughout society.
International statistics show that the brain drain problem has affected Iran more than any other country in the world. This issue is quite serious. Clearly, it is necessary to look beyond the superficial impact of this great threat in order to deeply examine the effects of the brain drain problem.
Dr. Mohammad Ali Zolfi Gol, a chemist and associate professor at Abu Ali Sina University in Hamedan Province, has a new perspective on this phenomenon and elaborated on his views in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) earlier this month.
Zolfi Gol said that in the process of the brain drain, not only are the country’s experts and elites, who are considered the national wealth, lost, but also, it is predicted that after some centuries the recipient countries will become elite societies, their percentage of higher intelligence genes will rise incredibly, and they will always be the forerunners in scientific and technological development, while the countries of origin will become poor societies and will become even more dependent on the developed countries due to their poverty, and thus the global balance will be lost.
Dr. Zolfi Gol stated that the expressions “immigration of elites” and “brain drain” should be replaced with “brainy genes migration” because it is the genes which transfer inherited information from one generation to the next and the intelligence of every person is directly determined by genes.
He expressed his view on the nature-versus-nurture debate, saying genius is the outcome of two significant elements: inheritance -- the genetic characteristics of the people -– and environment -- which prepares the ground for scientific advancement.
He added, “With every single elite who leaves the country, a brainy gene leaves the country, and by marrying and living in another country, (that person) helps to increase the brainy genes in that country, so the percentage of brainy genes in the destination countries will increase. After a long period of time, a considerable difference would be created between the elite-receiving countries and the countries of origin. Under such circumstances, the destination countries will become elite societies and the countries of origin will move toward backwardness.”
Zolfi Gol continued, saying, “The elite societies develop new science, technology, and industry every day, while, due to their need for the achievements of the elite societies, the other countries must pay for their expenditures, and must therefore accept their new culture. That is to say, besides offering their scientific productions, they actually introduce new cultures as well. Every country makes products in line with its culture, so, by exporting its goods, a country in fact exports its culture as well.
“The elites can create new science, technology, culture, and job opportunities for their societies, so the unemployment rate in the developed countries will become lower and lower while one of the most significant problems of the developing and underdeveloped countries is unemployment.”
He explained that this shows that paying special attention to elites, experts, and scientists is the best and most reliable investment.
“The destination countries receive the elites of another country, regardless of their religion, and not only make use of their intelligence, talent, and abilities in developing their science, technology, and industry, but also increase their brainy gene pool for future generations and thus guarantee a bright future for themselves,” he added.
“That is to say, they conduct a genetic reform. Therefore, future generations in the destination countries not only will face no problems in satisfying their needs but also will be able to pursue the process of development more easily. That is to say, the policy-makers of the destination countries multiply their national wealth, i.e., the elites.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Dr. Zolfi Gol said that enriching the curriculum of higher education courses and supporting the elites both financially and intellectually are some of the best ways to encourage the elites.
He went on to say that it is also necessary to formulate appropriate strategies to identify the elites and educate them in order to preserve the human assets of the society.
In regard to the fact that there are many potential intellectuals in the country who have not realized their talent due to poverty and lack of proper facilities, he said that if the necessary security is established in the country to preserve wealth and assets, wealthy people as well as public and private sector industries can increase their wealth by using the potential intellectuals as experts and elites.
In conclusion, Dr. Zolfi Gol underlined the fact that the development of every country has only been possible through reliance on the capabilities of the country’s elites and experts and expressed hope that Iranian officials would recognize the value of the elites and initiate a national project to retain them.
SA/HG
End
MNA
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