The combined weight of economic instability, systemic nepotism, and professional invisibility is quietly driving this generation out of the country.

Bangladesh is now home to more than 17.5 crore people. Roughly one in four is 15-29 years of age, a cohort of around 4.7 crore, larger than the population of many countries.

As someone who had the opportunity to stay back after completing further studies, I feel that portraying the issue of non-returning academics as a crisis of individual morality, rather than reflecting on the lack of institutional incentives that allow Bangladeshi scholars to opt for a different destiny, only tells half of the story.

If you walk into a random classroom in Bangladesh and ask the students what they want to be when they grow up, there are some fairly common answers that might reach your ears.

With reforms, Bangladesh could nurture its own talents and reverse the tide.

If you ask any multinational, regional, or large local corporate CEOs what keeps them awake at night, the most common reply is likely to be—employee retention. Be it Standard Chartered, Citibank, or PwC, many potential CEO candidates have been lost to first-world countries, and this exodus continues. They were mostly from reputed business schools or engineering universities. Their exit interviews revealed almost a common thread of answers.

Months after the trending 'reverse brain drain' hashtag, it appears that the initial momentum has faded. The conversation seems to have stalled, and we are yet to see a tangible wave of skilled expatriates returning home to rebuild alongside us.

Thousands of students and skilled professionals across Bangladesh face the dilemma of having to choose between staying in their homeland with little prospect for advancement or seeking alternatives abroad. The systemic challenges they encounter are indicative of deeper issues within Bangladesh's socio-economic condition.

Engineers leaving Bangladesh for better pay and opportunities.