Brain drain, or human capital flight, is real. Brain drain is simply the situation in which large numbers of educated and skilled people leave their own country or region to live and work in another one in search of a better quality of life, a higher standard of living, and better working conditions. This migration of educated and skilled people happens both within countries and across international borders.

 

 

To contextualize, educated and skilled people leaving Mokokchung to settle elsewhere is brain drain. As if it were an attempt to double down on the brain drain from Mokokchung, not only the educated and skilled people but even the economically better off and retired government servants are all leaving Mokokchung. Despite the lack of systematic data, we can infer that the brain drain from Mokokchung is real. We all know of people who left Mokokchung for good. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why Mokokchung has not been growing as fast as we would have loved. After all, we cannot expect our town to grow when the best and brightest people are leaving our town. This creates an unstoppable cycle because when the skilled, educated and economically well off people leave the town for good, they take away with them the skills, education and economy needed to build the town which in turn prompts more and more people to leave.

 

For instance, places like Dimapur or Kohima offer more opportunities and prospects for leading a better life than Mokokchung, which is why many people are leaving. We have to understand that there are push and pull factors for this brain drain. Lack of opportunities here are bushing the people away while better opportunities elsewhere – either perceived or real – are pulling them away. The negative effects of brain drain are long-term and leave a lasting impact. Entrepreneurial talent is being lost in the process, skilled persons are in short supply, there is a decrease in the generation of new ideas, the town loses investment, which in turn leads to a reduced accessibility to essential services and facilities like health and education, and people feel less inclined to remain here. This is what Mokokchung is experiencing these days.

 

This is an issue that must be addressed. Otherwise, what would become of Mokokchung when productive people are leaving the town in huge numbers? Most students who go out of town to pursue their studies get exposed to the opportunities that are not found back home. In fact, the very reason that they had to go out of town for their studies in the first place is the beginning of the brain drain. Brain drain has negative impacts on the socio-economy of the town which in turn leaves lasting negative impacts on the values and practices of the people. Of course, there are also positive points when people from the town go out to get skilled and educated, gain the experience and the exposure. But that is beneficial at the societal level only if they return back and contribute positively.

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