Pakistan's 70 year old flawed policies have failed miserably to deliver. This century is moving the focus from industrial economies to Knowledge economies and vision 2025 is the step in the right direction. But the success of this vision depends on the pillars we build for it in current years. Pakistan badly requires quality scientific and technological workforce.
Asian countries such as china and Korea are continuously expanding its horizons in research and development. The workforce returning to their countries after getting expertise in US institutions are the ones leading innovation and capacity building in those countries. China produces hi tech components as much as USA due to its trained workforce from USA institutes. Koreans are leading patent filers in OECD countries. Annual Chinese flow of students to USA is about 100,000 of total 459,800. India sends 132,000 students yearly out of which 80 percent are enrolled in STEMs programmmes. Indian origin research scientists and faculty members accounts for one million in USA, a growth of 85 percent from 2003 to 2013. They account to 3.3 percent of US research force as compare to 2.5 percent a decade ago. Out of immigrant start up companies at silicon valley, Indian start ups have increased from 26 to 33 percent since 2005, 15 percent of all startups.
Why USA a preferred destination?
Because world's 2/3rd of top 40 institutes lies in USA. Out of world's 870 Nobel award winners 356 had been from USA. 70 percent of all Nobel prize winners works in USA.
Forty percent of all research and technology development spending is based in USA and companies built by Stanford and MIT alumni generated 8.4 million jobs since 1930 and revenues in reach of 4.9 trillion $.
According to RAND the foreign students have enabled USA to develop its engineering and science work to develop faster. Those students returning back to their countries mentor their local countrymen about the current trends in the industry and set up research labs and also guide students to study in programmes at USA.
in 1989-90 students from Pakistan enrolled in US universities were 8158, which dropped to dangerously low level of 5354. If we compare with Indians 132888, the ratio becomes 1:25, (one Pakistani to 25 Indians.). Although population ratio between two countries is 1:7.
Nepal sends 8158, slightly less than 50 percent of total Pakistani students enrolled in US although Nepal's population is 28 million which is seven times less than Pakistan.
The Fulbright program is the world's largest exchange program. If we look at Pakistan's trend we observe that the focus is mostly on non STEM programmes by our students, Mostly do not go for PHD programmes and also to not so highly ranked universities. HEC overseas scholarships are also targeted on universities having no such huge reputation on world level.
The recent announcement of 10000 scholarships to students for USA is a step in the right direction although the drawbacks of past policies should be avoided and example of Asian economies needs to be followed to develop a base for knowledge based economy.
In short the fellowships will help establish the pillars for vision 2025 if focused on STEM programmes which will be mutually beneficial to Pakistan and USA.
Source: http://www.dawn.com/news/1282266/reorienting-pak-us-ties
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