From BBC today. Wonder why they want to learn english? Could it be that the system in english speaking countries actually works and they might have a life?


Iran's youth seek future overseas (excerpts)

By Miranda Eeles
BBC correspondent in Tehran

Bright Iranian youth are deserting in their thousands
But while they may be looking forward to finishing their studies, what comes afterwards is a different matter altogether.

Faced with poor job prospects and restrictive social conditions, thousands are leaving every year, creating alarm among the country's leaders.

'Everyone wants to leave'

Ehsan Afshar is spending his last afternoon with his friends at a cafe in north Tehran.

For three years he has been trying to leave Iran. Finally his dream - a chance to study abroad - is about to come true.

"Everyone wants to leave because of the economic problems, because of the social conditions facing young people," he said.

Many young people have lost patience with the slow pace of reform
"They don't understand what going on. In a way, young people just see walls in front of them, a kind of obstacle.

It is not only the prospect of unemployment that is forcing them to look overseas.

These are children born after the Islamic revolution. They want freedom that they feel the government is not prepared to give them.

English boom

English-language schools have mushroomed all over the country in the past few years.

The brain drain is a problem for the country because we are losing highly educated people and these people... could be our entrepreneurs who create jobs for the next generation

Pooya Alaidini, economist

Most of the classes are for students preparing for an English-language exam, known as IELTS, compulsory for study overseas. Last year the number of applications in Iran rose by 84%.

Now hundreds of thousands are leaving every year.

Brain drain
"The brain drain is a problem for the country because we are losing highly educated people and these people... could be our entrepreneurs who create jobs for the next generation."