For many years now, most of our promising young minds have opted to move out of the country with foreign education and their resulting degrees accepted as the best chance for a settled and more secure future when compared to what the local education sector has to offer.
Brain drain or the immigration of highly educated, skilled and capable professionals to other countries, most of them going to West has been the scourge of almost all of Asia. So is the position in Pakistan. If we could provide them quality education right here in the long run, this would result into a larger pool of intellectuals within the country.
Every year about one billion dollars are spent collectively by parents in Pakistan for education of their children in foreign countries, a large part of which could be saved for building up educational institutions of higher standard right here in Pakistan. These would enable not only children of the elite but also the poor to have an opportunity of the best education available.
Pakistani students have a great deal of talent and needed to be exploited in line with the need and requirement of the country, which can only be done if they stay in the country and understand its needs. This is a challenge due to poverty and resource shortage. Another major challenge that our country faces, is the lack of knowledge of local students. Most of them are like sheep being influenced by financial reasons faced by the family choose a degree course and subsequent career even if they are totally unsuited to that particular profession.
Students who wish to pursue higher education abroad or are looking for an international standard education in Pakistan must assess what other educational and career options are available other than marketing, medicine and software related careers that are over the brink in Pakistan already. The country also needs capable lawyers, economists, civil engineers, etc, the potential for which has never been truly exploited in Pakistan. The students should learn about alternative careers and the teachers must help them to understand opportunities to learn how to benefit from an educational institute and consider the best options to acquire their education.
Education is a timeless asset that can open innumerable doors of opportunity both for the individual as well as the nation. Each young person who enters the right field of study has the opportunity to proceed ahead and become an authority in his/her field of study.
TOFEL, IELTS and GRE, these are the basic requirements that almost every university requires. As soon as you are in the last few years of your under graduate education, you must start thinking seriously about taking these tests.
SELECTING THE RIGHT INSTITUTE: One of the biggest problems is selecting the school with the best academic and extra-curricular opportunities. Most students who want to study abroad don't think carefully over selecting the right place to go. They jump at prospectuses and apply hurriedly. Furthermore, before applying, an important step is to seek advice, be it from friends, teachers or other seniors.
VISA: The visa remains a major source of disturbance for many prospective students, and with the global situation being what it is, the visa remains a 50-50 option.
Nevertheless, it is important to arrange for money to cover costs such as passport fee, air fare and other miscellaneous visa charges. Also apply in countries other than the US and UK to ensure that you don't miss a year of education in case your first application is rejected.
FINANCE: Finance is by far the most important obstacle for many Pakistanis, when it comes to studying abroad. It is always wise to have enough money so as to last the first semester. One can then resort to other means of income in the coming semesters. Applying for financial help is also an option.
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO FUND ONESELF THAT INCLUDE:
-- Teaching assistance, which involves working with a faculty member and assisting him/her in teaching, marking and grading.
-- Research assistance, find a person working on a project that you are familiar with and offer yourself to join the team, working for the research and being paid in return.
-- Project assistance.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Every university has its on job opportunities where you can apply for a job.
MS and PhD: Before leaving for studies be crystal clear as to what the degree will lead to. Generally 16 years of education is the basic requirement for enrolling into a PhD programme, but the circumstances vary from student to student and university to university.
COUNTRY: A careful selection must also be made of the country you plan to go. Education in the US is cheaper than in UK and Australia and facilities are the best.
LANGUAGE PROBLEM: Once you clear the TOEFL/IELTS and GRE you have proved that language will not be a problem for you.
DISCRIMINATION: Rest assured that this is not as serious a problem as projected by the media. The literate community in USA is really helpful and approves of mutual respect and tolerance for all faiths and culture.