Talents not recognised

There is no value of talent in our country. Pakistan is one of the nations which have been blessed with quality IQ, but it could not devise appropriate system to capitalise on it. Only relation works, not talent.

These are the sentences we come across in our daily life. The observations are largely true. Ruling elite of Pakistan has devised a system which helps them snub talented people, whether they are educated or uneducated.

The story starts with poor quality education and skill system. First of all, youth are not allowed to pursue independent choices for education and career. Parents put pressure on their kids to go for education fields according to their desires.

It lays the foundation for killing natural talent. Second, the education system and policy framework are extremely anti-talent. There are two types of education system – public and private. Majority of the public educational institutes follow teaching methods having no relevance in the modern world. They only focus on teaching textbooks and ignore development of skills. In this way, they produce low-quality human capital with limited or no life skills. There is a private educational system which is extremely expensive.

Despite these systematic flaws, if someone enters the market, he starts facing discrimination. He has to struggle to find a place to show his talent as the system is highly rigged in favour of the powerful.

First of all, they have to compete with retired servants of government and international organisations. It is a reality no one in Pakistan wants retirement. Majority of the retired people remain in the race to capture decent jobs. They minimise chances for new entrants by using their influence and networks. The retired personnel keep themselves relevant in the market saying they want to serve the nation with their experience.

On the other hand, the people, who lived outside and served foreign or international organisations, travel to Pakistan to find jobs. When they become irrelevant or abandoned by their previous organisations, they become patriots.

The youth ask two questions – why you did not serve when you were in active service, and what you were doing at that time. Second, you are here to serve the nation, then why you are asking for, rather running after hefty packages.

Rehiring hurts national interests on three fronts. First, the government pays these people post-retirement packages and facilities. Second, they secure new packages and facilities by joining new jobs. Third, it creates unemployment among youth and they become frustrated, which is a dangerous phenomenon.

It puts the talented people at a crossroads, whether they should continue to stay in Pakistan or leave the country for a better future. The system compels the talented people to say goodbye to their country, and then Pakistan starts crying about the flight of bright minds. They pretend it is a great loss to Pakistan. They give lengthy speeches on brain drain and its implications for country. However, they never talk about the real problems and causes behind the brain drain and keep on exploiting the remaining talented people. Sometimes, it feels they consider it good for them, as it will open new opportunities for them, their kids and retired cronies.

The story does not stop here. Once these talented people, after years of struggle, create some space for themselves at new destinations, the government starts inviting them to come back. It does not realise these people do not belong to Pakistan’s system anymore. No doubt, these are talented people, but they have been trained in an entirely different system. They have limited knowledge of the new dynamics of the country. But, the government insists on bringing them back offering luxurious packages to arouse their nationalism or patriotism.

This policy has given birth to new types of problems and complications. It creates unrest among the people who opt to stay in Pakistan and serve country. They feel discouraged. They think their services and sacrifices have become irrelevant and they wasted golden years of their life in serving the country. They worked against all ills of the system with no reward. They are not against non-resident Pakistanis. They feel by accommodating non-resident Pakistanis, government disrespects their services. They want fair treatment and respect for indigenous wisdom.

Unfortunately, the government does not pay any attention to these voices. They and other aspiring people, who want to serve the country, are being demotivated. It gives birth to a vicious cycle of disparities which has shaken the basics of the country. It gives excuses to the government for low spending on quality human capital.

As a result, Pakistan is going through worst economic, social and financial crisis. To break this cycle, Pakistan will have to mend its ways. First, create a quality-driven education system which can create high-quality human capital equipped with life skills. Second, respect the talent and strictly follow the merit system. Third, get rid of the inferiority complex of expats and foreign experts and focus on domestic brains. Fourth, respect non-resident Pakistanis and celebrate their achievements, and do not use it to kill domestic talent and dreams of the people serving the nation.