Speaking to Khabar Online, Arsalan Qorbani who heads international affairs department of the ministry responded to a concern expressed by Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. As the chairman of Iran's Assembly of Experts and the head of Expediency Council, Rafsanjani earlier warned on a new wave of Iranian elites' immigration to other countries.
"The Ministry of Science, Research and Technology has no exact figures on the immigration of Iranian educated people. However we don't agree that the elites are ever more leaving the country," he said.
"At first we believe in the 'cycle of brains' and the management of educated and skillful people outside the country. Some Iranian young people are interested in pursuing their education abroad," Qorbani asserted.
Referring to the facilities provided by the Ministry of Science in the recent years for the youth to follow their education inside the country, he pointed out: "As you know the Foundation of Elites affiliated to the ministry is currently taking steps to support the elites and brilliant talents."
"Ministry of Science tries to provide enough educational facilities for the young elites in the country, but we have not limited our view to science within the borders of Iran. We believe science is an international phenomenon belonging to all humans and must be accessed without any discrimination," the deputy minister said.
"For the same reason some Iranian students leave the country to pursue their education, but the key point is to organize their efforts and to manage the 'brains cycle," he added.
On the other hand, according to the International Monetary Fund, Iran has the highest rate of brain drain among 61 developing and less developed countries it measured. Based on the same information more than 150,000 educated Iranians leave their home country in the hope of finding a better life and 25 percent of all Iranians with post-secondary education now live abroad in developed countries.
The turmoil caused after the presidential election on June 12, 2009 has reportedly created a new wave of immigration among elite Iranians.
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