Comparative Analysis of Brain Drain, Brain Circulation and Brain Retain: A Case Study of Indian Institutes of Technology

The migration of students in science and engineering (S&E) is a global phenomenon that affects the economic, technological and social progress of societies and nations across the world. It has been conceptualized by the term “brain drain”, which symbolizes a one-way movement of students from developing to developed countries. The recent return of some migrants to their home countries has been conceptualized by the term “brain circulation”. Brains that fail to circulate back to home countries are considered “drains”. This paper points to the new emerging reality of brains being retained. A recent survey of nearly 260 undergraduate students from two out of the five original Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) found that the majority of them have developed an increased interest in staying in India, rather than the decades-old trend of going abroad for education leading to work and permanent stay. Even if some of these students are interested in going abroad for higher studies, they expressed keen determination to return to India to pursue careers after completing their studies abroad.