There is a growing tendency among us to send our children to foreign countries for higher studies.

Why? There are some readymade answers: We lack education facilities, poor infrastructure, poverty is rife and so on.

And most of those who go abroad for higher studies do not want to return. Why? Some similar arguments: There is a lack of opportunity for career growth, less income, dust, pollution and so on.

Add to this the number of youths going abroad for employment. Every day, around 1,500 men and women leave the country, mostly for the Gulf countries and Malaysia. With employment rate in Nepal somewhere near 40 per cent, there is no option for this youth force to fly abroad.

The migration trend has been increasing in the past few years. It is estimated that after 10-20 years, our skilled labour force will come down to around 20 per cent in the country. The figures paint a bleak picture.

It is understandable that everyone wants to go to the best colleges, earn the best degrees, land best jobs and get international exposure. But how many of us think about utilising the knowledge we gain in foreign universities for the larger benefit or our own country.

When those who do not return home after completing their studies say they lack opportunities in Nepal, they are not completely wrong.

This trend of brain drain will ultimately weigh on the country’s development. It is high time policy makers in Nepal started giving a serious thought about keeping the youths within the country or bringing them back. For this, there should be focus on development, infrastructure projects, the information and communication technology sector and industries among others.

Tourism is yet another sector where Nepal can do a lot. The tourism sector is a major contributor to the country’s GDP. However, we have not been able to utilise our youths in this sector to the desired level. We have a tremendous scope of

resorts, hotels and restaurants in the areas which we can develop as tourism destinations. This way our youths can contribute a lot.

One of the issues we often talk about is politics. But nonetheless, there is not much interest among youths in politics. Youths can make a big difference by joining politics as well.

First of all we need to bring a change within ourselves. If we start thinking about our society and the country, the positive change is not that far.