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Zimbabwe: Most graduates are preparing to emigrate, survey shows
SouthScan
November 01, 2005

http://allafrica.com/stories/200511020634.html

The prospects of Zimbabwe's economy bouncing back from its current crisis are likely to be dim if the results of a new survey of university and college graduates are taken into account.

Over three quarters of the parents of new graduates are now urging their offspring to leave, mainly because their families depend on remittances from abroad. Tens of thousands of Zimbabwean doctors, nurses, pharmacists, teachers and other professionals have already left the country. Most seriously affected is the health sector where, according to one estimate, 60 percent of state-registered nurses and about half of the medical doctors have left the country since 1999.

The Southern African Migration Project (SAMP) carried out the survey of final-year college and university students in Zimbabwe and its report has just been published. It shows that a coercive approach to the brain drain would only intensify the level of discontent and for most of the students would make absolutely no difference to their emigration intentions.

Only six percent of the students had not considered moving abroad. Just over half (56 percent) said that they were likely to emigrate within six months of graduating. Some 70 percent said it was likely they would have left the country within two years. Over a quarter of students had already applied for or were in the process of applying for a work permit in another country.

Most of the graduates foresee a long spell in the diaspora, and while they want to be buried back home and to retain their Zimbabwean identity, they are pessimistic about the future of their country.

As they prepare for graduation maybe a quarter are already filling in applications for visas to work abroad - either in South Africa or in the UK or North America (but not elsewhere in Africa).

The university students polled were from faculties of law, science, engineering, commerce, medicine/pharmacy and arts/humanities. The colleges included technical, commercial and teacher training institutions located in several urban centres.

Almost 60 percent of the students said they were proud to be called Zimbabweans, a high proportion but lower than in every other Southern African Development Community country tested. A similar number agreed that being a citizen of Zimbabwe was a very important part of how they see themselves (high but again low in the regional context). There is also a strong desire among students to help build their nation. As many as 78 percent of the students felt it was their 'duty' to contribute their talents and skills to the growth of their country.

Levels of student dissatisfaction about economic conditions are higher than in any other SADC country surveyed. Only three percent were satisfied with their personal economic conditions and less than 35 percent were optimistic that things would improve in the next five years.

Only 14 percent said their ability to find the house they wanted would improve in the future; only 19 percent thought medical services would get better and only 21 percent were optimistic about their ability to find a good school for their children. Only 18 percent felt that their personal and family's safety would improve in the future and just 19 percent were optimistic that the future of children would get better. Very few of the students expected the quality upkeep of public amenities, the availability of quality affordable products and customer care to improve.

Only 11 percent felt that the HIV/AIDS situation would improve.

Southern Africa is the preferred destination for 36 percent of the students, followed by Europe (29 percent), and North America (24 percent). Fewer than one per cent listed the rest of Africa as their preferred destination.

Seventy seven percent of students said that they were being encouraged or strongly encouraged to leave the country by their families.

In contrast to many students in Southern Africa, Zimbabweans are interested in long-term migration. Around 60 percent have a great desire to leave for more than two years and 46 percent said it was very likely that they would do so. Only 12 percent indicated a preferred stay of less than two years in their most likely destination. As many as half the students said they would stay away for longer than five years.

Although many of the students said they would want to be permanent residents (60 percent) and citizens (57 percent) of their most desirable destination, fewer said they would want to retire there (37 percent) and fewer still to be buried there (18 percent).

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