Reverse ‘Brain Drain’ at East African Universities

For decades it has been very common occurrence to see a large number of High School and University Graduates from East Africa seek ‘Higher Education’ at overseas Universities and colleges mainly in the United Kingdom and the United States and now very commonly in Australia. A great amount of these students eventually take up residence in these countries leaving their mother countries without many of their best brains and talents. It hasn’t been common for the reverse to happen but it may be beginning to take place; Students from the United States, the UK and other developed countries are beginning to seek undergraduate level and graduate level degrees from East African Universities. There are also many students from these countries who have opted to spend a semester or two at local universities. For both these set of students there is a realization that the ‘university experience’ should be socially and culturally enriching just as much as it is academically enriching. The BBC carries the story of one such student from Britain, who opted to take his Master’s Degree at a Ugandan University rather than at home in the UK, in a recent online article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7342706.stm