ISLAMABAD: Besides brain-drain caused to the nation, a loss of Rs 55.11 million to public exchequer has also been incurred due to non-return of six PhD scholars after completing their studies from abroad. Non-returning scholars belong to COMSATS and PIEAS and they went abroad by availing HEC’s Human Resource Development Programme Scholarship Award. An audit report recently published by Auditor General of Pakistan has noted that a total of 64 university faculty members including 50 from COMSATS and 14 from Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) were sent abroad for the pursuance of their PhD degree under the Human Resource Development Program Scholarship Award of Higher Education Commission. The selected candidates had signed a surety bond at the time of their selection. According to which the scholarship award was tenable initially for a period of five years extendable in special cases for another year for the completion of studies but subject to the approval of Supervisor. The bond also included that the scholar shall not extend the specified period of studies without approval of the university whereas it is also compulsory for scholars to serve in Pakistan for 5 years after the completion of studies abroad. According to details, the 5 faculty members of COMSATS out of total 50 did not return to Pakistan after the completion of their studies. This resulted in monetary loss of total Rs.43.79 million which is a sum of 268,860 British pound, 6040 US dollars, and 1.376 million Pakistani rupees spent on these defaulter scholars. Audit report further explained that initially, the management of COMSATS had neither taken any action against the scholars nor surety bonds were encashed. But, when the matter surfaced into the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC), the management informed that legal notices have been issued to three persons while cases of two persons are in court of law. In case of PIEAS, one faculty member out of total fourteen did not come back to country to join his job after the completion of PhD. The default on the part of this faculty member resulted a monetary loss of Rs.11.32 million in total. However, the management of PIEAS did not issued notice to its faculty member and explained in DAC that after completing due process, the legal notice will be issued. Audit report held that the nation suffered loss due to improper selection of candidates and ineffective monitoring system whereas it has also directed to take strict action against these defaulters to retrieve loss incurred by these faculty members. It is pertinent to mention here that it was already reported by Daily Times that 126 PhD students dodged Higher Education Commission (HEC) so far as they declined to serve in Pakistan even though they had signed agreements with the commission to return homeland and serve the country. Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Engineer Balighur Rehman, while responding to a question asked by MNA Khalida Mansoor had stated that 126 PhD scholars out of total 5,934 sent abroad by HEC for their studies did not return to the county so far in April 2016. Educationists are of the view that the students going abroad are more bound morally than legally. They should respect their commitment as many of scholar go abroad for studies even not in position to pursue their higher studies at the start of their degree programme. A better future is the right of everyone but these scholars should realise that they received the education in highly reputed universities of the world on the expense of poor people of the country.