Mary Teuw Niane prefers to talk about "mobility" and not "brain drain"

Thiès, July 29 (APS) – Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation Mary Teuw Niane on Saturday expressed her disapproval of the concept of "brain drain" ', of which he stands out, preferring instead to speak of a' 'brain mobility' 'which, according to him, has characterized the world of knowledge since antiquity.

"You will never hear me talk about brain drain, it's not my concept," said Mary Teuw Niane, questioned about the existence of any measures, to avoid a brain drain. "Me, my concept is brain mobility," he said.

He was speaking at the end of the ceremony of the 41st promotion of the Polytechnic School of Thiès, with 64 engineers in civil engineering, aeronautics, electronics and telecommunications and electromechanics.

'' Brain drain, those who use it do not know the history of the movement of scientists in the world since ancient times, '' he continued.

Citing the writings of Senegalese Egyptologist Cheikh Anta Diop, Niane noted that "the Greeks came to Egypt because (she) was the center of the world in the field of knowledge." 19659002]

In the Age of Enlightenment, where did people come from? In France, because (she) was the center of the world '', he added, before indicating that at some point in history this center had moved to St. Petersburg. [19659002]

'' Today, more and more people are going to the United States, but also to China, '' he argued, saying that '' the most productive and innovative minds are going to in places where they are offered the best conditions ''. Which conditions "are not often material conditions," but "conditions of fulfillment and production".

"We have needs to satisfy, but we are in the world," he said.

For him, the fact that young Senegalese graduates go abroad to work in industries that do not exist in Senegal, is '' an opportunity for our country, (for that) tomorrow when we will need to develop these industries at home, they come with experience. "

He gave the example of the director of the National Institute of Oil and Gas (INPG) created by President Macky Sall, following the discovery of oil in Senegal. This man was the director of a training center in this field in the Middle East, he argued, noting that '' if he was not there, it would be difficult '' for to hold such a position in his country.

"We have many Senegalese engineers who today are coming back to us. In the oil and gas business, it's the same thing. "

At the start of the next academic year, an inter-university master's degree in artificial intelligence, big data, cybersecurity, numerical simulation, etc. will be put in place, he announced, adding that "from everywhere, Senegalese appear to us, teaching in universities, (or working in) industries that wish to participate" in this project.

Some of them want jobs to be created, come to work in Senegal, he said, before hammering: '' we should not be afraid of brain mobility, especially since We must never forget that the reform of higher education wants to create conditions to attract the brains of the most brilliant ".

The Senegalese law on universities, adopted by the National Assembly in 2015, abolished the criterion of nationality in the recruitment of university research professors, he said.