CAIRO: Everybody’s talking about the brain-drain – the migration of Egyptian talent to greener pastures. A recent report in Al Ahram daily posits that talented people in all fields are not even on the state’s agenda. More catastrophic is that talent-scouting is none-existent, according to a report which is the first of its kind in recent years.
The results of the report first appeared in Al Ahram daily. It quoted education experts and other specialists saying that the services currently offered to gifted young people have no scientific basis and are not in line with what is done for them elsewhere in developed nations.
While scores of associations are devoted to orphans and the disabled, relatively few exist for those with special talents. The total number can probably be counted on one hand.
Highlighting figures in other nations, the report said that development statistics issued by the World Bank show that there are 680 scientists and intellectuals in Egypt for each one million of the population, compared to 37,000 in the Jewish state.
The Al Ahram report was triggered by a book authored by an American journalist on the strategies followed by Israel to choose the best minds for its intelligence work and achieve economic progress.
In Egypt, the best that can be done to recognize their (talented people’s) existence is to organize competitions and offer awards. More often than not, these ceremonies mark the end of these groups’ achievements rather than boosting their talents.
The report noted that the desire to modernize Egypt should precipitate the search for talent. Special centers must be set up within the education ministry, allowing them to take the lead in enlightening people about the benefits of talent development.
The report sounded alarm bells, noting that so far there is no national strategy, no cumulative effort, no specific mechanism or a sufficient budget to cater to the needs of these prodigies.
The journalist who produced the report was shocked Al Ahram’s archives housed nothing on the issue.
The report found that the education ministry affairs department related to talented students is run by the “special education unit, which is primarily responsible for dealing with the problems of handicapped students and others who have special needs.
But even the little attention this unit gives to the talented has to be shared by those who standout academically academic.
The Supreme Council for Youth, like the education ministry, is restricted by its limited budget of LE 10 million annually. The council officials said that modernization plans would require no less than LE 100 million every year.
The culture ministry’s plans, which focus on arts and scientific research, are also behind target due to budget constraints, the report stated. The program is run through 75 clubs dedicated to talented youth countrywide.
At the national level, there is only one society that is targeting the gifted, the report noted. Since its inception in 1994, the Public Association for Sponsoring the Talented has developed plans to discover the talented and hone their abilities through special programs.
The association is spreading its activities through its 18 branches. Regrettably however, the organization is suffering from a lack of financial support especially following the death of its owner.
