Afghan students taking part in a protest in New Delhi / Photograph by Pradeep Gaur
Embedded Files
Future of Afghan students dangle in confusion
India receives one of the highest numbers of students from Afghanistan. The Taliban takeover has made it difficult for Afghan students in India to pursue their education further. Several of them are stranded without proper visas. However, the Indian government has been supporting them in many ways, such as by providing them with visa extensions and scholarships.
War in Afghanistan is not a new tale. In the latest turn of events, in August 2021, the Taliban took over Afghanistan after ending a long-waged war with the United States. Apart from creating a massive refugee crisis, the war has left the students here in India to pursue their education in uncertainty.
According to the latest report of the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE 2019-2020), published by the Ministry of Education (MoE), the number of foreign students enrolled in India is nearly 50,000. As per the survey, Nepal contributes the highest number of foreign students with 28.1%, followed by Afghanistan with 9.1%.
According to Prof. V. Appa Rao, currently the director of the University Foreign Relations Office (UFRO) at Osmania University (O.U.), the highest number of international students at their university are from Afghanistan. He says, “Post the Taliban takeover, we are trying our best to support the Afghan students at the university level. Several students who wished to stay back and pursue further education got enrolled in courses of their choice. UFRO was also able to secure scholarships for some of them through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).”
Providing us with the numbers, Prof. Rao mentioned that in 2020-2021, O.U. received 65 students from Afghanistan. However, they had admitted only 31 students this year. After completing their previously-enrolled courses, these students chose to remain in India. There were no new admissions in the current academic year due to governmental regulations. India has ended its diplomatic ties with Afghanistan and has not recognised the Taliban’s rule because of its terroristic roots.
Afghan students celebrating Eid in Hyderabad, India, 2022 / Photograph by Sameer Abbas*
World’s saddest country
According to the recent World Happiness Report, published by independent experts at the United Nations (UN), Afghanistan is the least happy country, ranking at 146. It is the second year in a row that Afghanistan is at this rank. In another article published in January 2022 on the UN website, more than half a million people in Afghanistan have lost their jobs since the Taliban gained power. It has been predicted that this number will increase by mid-2022.
Junaid Khan*, 24, who is currently pursuing his B.A. in English says, “Unfortunately, the impact of the Taliban takeover is severely vast. All the people inside or outside the country have been affected by this. The same goes for my family. Whoever was an employee in our family is now unemployed. During or after the transformation, most companies in the private sector have either left the country or went into bankruptcy. The ones that are still functioning are not paying their employees.”
Related link: World Happiness Report 2022
Women students taking part in a protest in New Delhi / Photograph by Pradeep Gaur
Women under the Taliban regime
Women are the most impacted under the Taliban rule. Their fundamental human rights have been snatched away from them. Access to education, work, or even an essential trip to buy groceries are restricted for women. A recent report ‘No One Hears Our Voices,’ was published by the Women for Women International (WfWI). This non-profit organisation supports the women survivors of war and conflict. According to this report, 97% of women in Afghanistan have reported experiencing restrictions on their freedoms.
Fatima Khan*, 33, a student of M.A. English at Osmania University, says, “Girls are not allowed to go alone anywhere they want. They are supposed to be accompanied by their brothers, fathers or husbands. We are grateful to the government of India for supporting us. They have provided us with the scholarship even after the takeover.” Fatima says that a few students are stuck without any income for the last few months. “Even if we try to get any jobs, we cannot get them because of our visa status as students,” she says.
According to Fatima, the Taliban rulers are displaying Islam in a negative way. “The Taliban has fake Islamic rules. Upon asking the Taliban about their resurgence and rule, they say that they are trying to bring Islam to Afghanistan, which is incorrect. Whatever they do is not Islamic. Islam does not promote terrorism,” she says.
Furthermore, Fatima accuses the Taliban of closing the doors of schools for girls. “Not a single Hadith or verse in the Quran mentions restricting women from education. Women have equal rights according to Islam. The Taliban are manipulative. They want to create horror and a bad image of Islam in front of the world, and it seems to be working,” Fatima adds.
Students in Delhi protest Taliban rule in Afghanistan / Photograph by Pradeep Gaur
India’s help within the borders
Even though the Indian government does not formally recognise the Taliban’s rule, it is extending help to the Afghan students that are still within the Indian borders. Sameer Abbas*, who is in the final year of Civil Engineering, says India is trying to help all the Afghan students who are currently present in the country. “After the Taliban resurgence, one of my friends went to Turkey to meet his family, who moved there. When he landed at the Delhi airport, the police asked him to go back to Afghanistan. He was denied entry to India and was informed that his visa was no longer valid or recognised by the government. However, the students who have not left the country are receiving considerable support from the government.”
According to the ICCR website, in the year 2021-2022, the council provided 361 scholarships under ‘Scholarship Scheme for Children/Dependents of Afghan National Defence & Security Forces’ and 1000 scholarships under ‘Special Scholarship Scheme for Afghan National.’
Kaliash Chand, Programme Director (Afghan Section) at ICCR, discussed the measures being taken to help Afghan students who are currently in India. He says, “We are committed to the welfare of all Afghan Students studying under our scholarship schemes in India, as per its scholarship norms and guidelines. Through its network of regional offices, ICCR is in regular touch with the students, and with the relevant authorities of the Government of India dealing with visa issues for frequent updates.”
"India is trying to help all the Afghan students who are currently present in the country."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani / Photograph by Manoj Kumar
“Peace, security, and stability are important for our country right now.”
Unpredictable future
Education of the youth matters in bringing new reforms to any nation. Ever since the Taliban takeover, Afghan students have been fearful of their future. They are worried about what they will do after completing their education. Even though people are afraid of the new rules set by the Taliban, several feel safe in their country.
According to Samad Yousufzai*, a student of MBA, “Peace, security, and stability are important for our country right now. We have physical security. However, we are not sure about stability. It all depends on the mindset and policies of the Taliban.”
“I am unsure how things will be when I return to my country. I left Afghanistan as a republic, and things are uncertain post-republic,” he adds.
*Names changed on request.
Google Sites
Report abuse