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Retaining talented young Nepalis
But for all the talk of patriotism, we're actually pretty obsessed with leaving Nepal - I've had countless people ask me for advice from hair dressers to students to massage therapists to dentists. As a result of this determination a large percentage of young talented Nepalis go abroad - both for education and work. Many never return. And this really is a shame because these young people can and should be the driving force behind Nepal's economic growth through new companies, ideas, and sheer young energy and optimism.
Having lived in Kathmandu for a year, I've reflected on why this is the case and how this trend can be reversed.
Elder worship
This is a very much accepted and consistent theme throughout Nepali families. We bow to elders, and we use a different speech with and about them to imply deep respect. Basically, the old are wise that we young should respect and learn from. Unfortunately, our older population is neither very well educated nor experienced about the world. Very few have traveled, either through lack of funds or understanding of the world around them. And we're expected to learn from them. It's like the blind leading the blind.
Lets respect our elders, but not take worldly advice from them. Lets help them be comfortable in their old age but not take relationship, work, and health advice from them. Young Nepalis need to feel empowered and confident if they are to change the country and a good way to start is to be treated as equals by older people.
I was recently in Hong Kong and a good college friend of mine who's a high level government official there told me point blank "you should move to Hong Kong - we would love to have more young professionals". From a policy perspective she understands what a great difference young professionals make to a country's economy. Notice she didn't say "your parents should move to Hong Kong - we would love to have more old people to respect". And young people can feel it. You can feel it when you're in dynamic places like Hong Kong or San Francisco. You feel needed and wanted. You feel like you're valued and can make a difference. And you feel drawn to those places.
Nepotism
It is embarassing and demoralizing to see less qualified people get jobs you want because they have family and other connections. What's the incentive to stay in Nepal and work hard if there is no relationship between hard work, talent and financial reward? Nepotism is a sure way to make sure young talented Nepalis leave the country and have only the less capable or lazy ones with family connections stay behind.
Fun things to do and night life
Young people need fun things to do to be happy. It's just the way it is. We have more energy, more hormones kicking, and more appetite for new and fun things to do. There's a reason that google offices have fun games and crazy interior design and food by celebrity chefs. It keeps things exciting. It makes us want to hang around. It makes us happy. Currently the most exciting thing happening in Nepal is the opening of KFC and Pizza Hut. When I read the events section in the local newspapers I sometimes get a gag reflex with the absolute lack of fun things to do in Kathmandu.
Friendly business environment
We don't need things handed on a silver platter, but it's currently so tough to start a business that only the most brave and adventurous go for it. Or if your family has the right connections. If you think that the bureaucracy in Nepal is not too bad you don't know how easy places like the US or Hong Kong make it for people to register a business. Ours is a country where getting an office phone number is like pulling teeth. But really, by making it difficult to start a business, Nepal is only hurting itself. It stifles innovation and it discourages young graduates from starting a business.
The benefits from all of this of course is that it will create jobs and a smarter segment population will remain in the country. And successful startup founders can become mentors for the next batch creating a healthy cycle and startup culture.
Nepal, you're our country and we love you and want to be there for you. But it sometimes feels like you're an abusive spouse who doesn't value what we have to offer and spits in our face when we try to do the right thing. You need to change a few things or risk having all your young supporters leave you forever - more attractive places in the world beckon for our talent.
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Comments
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2.
sthapit
@goedel - elder worship, nepotism, lack of things to do, difficult business environment etc. - these are all hurdles that discourage talented young nepalis from staying in nepal.
Talented young nepalis leaving Nepal is just one of many reasons that our country is so poor. Why Nepal is so poor is a different topic altogether.
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tundal45
As someone who is constantly thinking about the options available back in Nepal compared to the opportunities here in the United States, I would have to say that the situation in Nepal is pretty grim.
That does not mean that the United States is free from some of the issues @sthapit has outlined above. While there is a better chance of one finding opportunities & fair compensation for their hard work, lack of recognition for those who are actually putting in the effort is clearly seen in the management styles that are adopted in most places.
Nepotism is clearly seen in most companies where sons & daughters get a fast track into management positions which mostly just requires pushing your work onto someone else and being paid for it.
While I do agree that agreeing with an elder knowing full well they are wrong is a wasted opportunity to at least attempt to make a change in their thinking, Elder worship has very little effect on the issue. I do agree that there are people who give in to doing what their parents want them to do and sacrificing what they would have loved to do so I can see what you are trying to say here but I feel that it is a increasingly smaller group of people that base their decisions this way.
I think the single factor that I think about the most is the Political Climate (this ties in the friendly business environment). There is no clear leadership in the country that is going to serve as a beacon of hope for the nation to feel remotely secure about their future and the future of the nation. There is very little accountability at any level so there is very little security that will enable people to feel confident that the fruits of their labor will not be taken away from them.
Others I have talked to have also expressed that connections are more valuable than actual work. While this is true for most countries, it is extreme in case of Nepal where connections wins regardless.
I have very little visibility into the daily motions of how the country works so my views expressed here are purely based on what I have seen when I have been back, what I have read as well as what I have heard from people. I hope I am wrong and Nepal is quickly developing the infrastructure necessary for building a good technology sector & making it easier for innovators & entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to the market.
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sthapit
There's a couple in Kathmandu we're good friends with. They recently found out they're pregnant and they're very happy about it and decided to get married. First get the court marriage out of the way and then do the bigger wedding in two months so they can prepare they thought.
When they applied to get their marriage certificate, the dude at the office tells them with a straight face that they can't get married since she's already pregnant. This incenses her and she yells that she's not pregnant and that's she's just fat. Not that it's any of their business. A big crowd ensues and it becomes increasingly clear that they're just asking for money. With multiple people and at multiple levels apparently. In the end they came back married but Rs 28,000 poorer and exhausted from the whole ordeal.
Marriages are supposed to be happy events. Not a time when you're fighting the system and paying people to push papers that they should be pushing anyway because it's their job. And this is just one of many things young people without proper connections have to go through all the time to get anything done in our country. Are we then surprised that our youngest and brightest leave never to return? What are we supposed to feel proud or patriotic towards?
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goedel
sthapit, let's say elder worship, nepotism, lack of things to do and difficult business environment are fixed when we wake up tomorrow morning. Do you think there will be much change in the number of people leaving the country?
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6.
sthapit
@goedel - absolutely. my wife and i talk about it all the time. a lot of my friends, including non-nepalis who grew up in kathmandu, want to make a life here but find it difficult exactly for those reasons. each of those 4 points are extremely important. i would argue that even just having more fun activities to do in kathmandu would make a huge difference in how many people leave the country. there's a reason why so many people in the US gravitate towards cities like San Francisco or New York. and there's a reason why the entertainmment industry is as large as it is. unless a person is a devout buddhist and totally detached, it's the simple that make you like a city. at least for me.
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tundal45
@sthapit While I agree that having avenues for social interactions is an essential part of attracting people to live in a city, I feel that people leave Nepal more for the insecurity, uncertainty, lack of opportunities & daily frustrations they have to go through just to get the simplest of tasks accomplished. Those who are leaving because the party scene is not there sound like they come from affluent backgrounds.
Another factor, at least for me, is the independence. Not having to answer to someone on a daily basis is something I have gotten used to. Don't get me wrong, I respect my parents just as much as the next guy but having been used to do what I want to do when I want to, I know I will have to give up on some of those when I get back no matter how much leniency I can squeeze out of my parents.
I think the major factor that has people leaving in drones is that there is no hope of a good leadership in the near future. When leaders start out by being thugs in college and capture voting booths, you can't expect much in terms of the very same people taking a moral high ground and doing something for the public. It depresses me even thinking about how sorry the way we produce political "leaders" are.
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sthapit
@tundal45 - all those factors are important. but the reality, and i think you'll find that out yourself if you spend as much as i have spent, is that for the most part life in kathmandu is surprisingly normal. there are bandhs and there are problems in the country. but that all becomes the new normal and life goes on. even the load shedding schedules - you get used to it. but what's not easy to get used to, and it only gets harder, is the lack of things to do.
i'm not looking for a crazy party scene by any means. but rather some nice neighborhoods that inspire, some stylish places, some new scene. you get tired of walking on filthy streets and dodging crap on the streets, and covering your mouth from all the dust and pollution. it drains you. it drains me at least. a lot of young people i talk to that want to leave aren't looking for something extraordinary. they're not talking about the political situation. yes, they're concerned about jobs and everything else i wrote about. but a lot of them/us want excitement. some adventure. some fun. which is sorely lacking in kathmandu. and the problem with boredom is that you can't get used to it - it only gets worse.
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Santosh
Hi all, I just found this website and I couldn't resist having my say in this discussion.
People move, have always moved throughout history and this trend will undoubtedly continue in the future. My grandparents moved from Gulmi to Palpa, my parents from Palpa to Kathmandu, and I have moved from Kathmandu to Sydney. Our three generations had different reasons for migrating, but the common denominator is that we all left our place of abode.
Can anything be done to stop the outward flow? I think not, however, things can be done to limit emigration, and in a best case scenario, balance the outward and inward migration. But, I would ask why would Nepal want to do so? It is overpopulated, severly lacking in basic resources and has a hosts of other problems that we associate with excessive population in low-income countries.
Keeping all of the population within the borders, for all intent and purposes, would massively increase the problems. More competition for exisiting resources and facilities, to put it bluntly.
If you put emotions aside, I think losing 3-4 million people to other countries will in no way whatsoever be a detriment to Nepal. As a country, unless population is controlled to sustainable limits, it is beneficial for Nepal to be a big net exporter of people.
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10.
sthapit
@santosh - As long as the country is poor we will continue not being able to function and provide basic services such as clean water, electricity, and security. So what's the solution? Certainly not the thousands of INGOs and NGOs in the country and the massive amounts of aid entering Nepal. We cannot keep asking for donations - Nepal has to stand on it's own feet. I believe the only way out of the mess nepal is in is through economic development. And the only way for economic development is by creating goods and services that the rest of the world wants or needs since Nepal is not sitting on oil reserves or diamond deposits. It is up to the new generation of Nepalis - who are on average much more educated than the previous generation, to start companies and goods and services. This cannot happen if all the educated and able bodied young Nepalis leave the country.
Even putting emotions aside - "exporting people" is not the answer. All that does is give developed countries access to cheap Nepali labor so in effect helping their economies not ours.
I believe these are all myths.
Elder worship in Nepal is comparable to India and China. We are far less beholden to elders than the Japanese. These countries are either growing very fast or have achieved phenomenal growth in the past.
The prevalence of nepotism in business seems to be similar in US, India and Nepal. I've heard from friends that similar culture exists in China and Japan as well. Nepotism may hurt a company but I don't find it convincing that nepotism is really that detrimental to the economy of a country. It may actually encourage entrepreneurship. In any case, I don't see big business houses in Kathmandu being run badly.
I was kind of bummed that most restaurants in Kathmandu close at 11. However, apparently, there are some venues in Thamel are that are open quite late. It is also affordable for bunch of friends to simply rent a room at a guesthouse and drink all night. There are also are nice biking/hiking places near Kathmandu and it is really easy to get out of the city for a week to trek in the Himalayas.
Finally, I guess, Nepal does have quite bad business environment. We should expect this when the government pay is lousy. I think some bribery to petty officers should just be regarded as fee for "expedite handling". In principle, I am OK with bribes that increase efficiency. My thinking goes: if the government increases the salary of the officer, it comes from the taxpayers. If you pay the bribe, you are paying his salary out of your own pocket. Apparently, it is also hell to go through paperwork in India, but it is growing at a pretty decent pace. In the US it is easy to start a small business but you face various regulations once you increase in size. I don't think there is much regulation in Nepal. Also, the Nepalese government is quite supportive of exporters according to my father who used to export carpets before he got bankrupt. I once had an idea of importing carpets to the US and asked him for instructions. They did not seem that difficult to follow.
The reason Nepal is poor is more complicated and is probably rooted in its history and geography. It is situated in a remote part of the world and was not in historically important big trade routes. So the people have had less opportunities to import useful ideas and technology from other societies. However, I don't think Nepali culture is really hindering its progress. We value education and respect the learned (maybe because so few actually are). We are not averse to risk and failure. Except perhaps the stereotypical "dhani bauka chora chori", we are willing to work hard and make huge sacrifices for our family. But Nepal should definitely be doing more to attract talent. (Sorting out the garbage problem of Kathmandu could be a start.)
6 months ago