India has in the past offered scholarships to thousands of
overseas students from countries such as Afghanistan to pursue
undergraduate and post-graduate degrees.
But after the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan in August
2021, many Afghan students in India were reluctant to return
home due to fears of possible reprisals and a lack of
opportunities due to the country's economic crisis, the students
say.
"The Indian government has not released scholarships for the
current academic session (which started in July) and after the
expiry of our visa we are living under constant fear of police
arrest," said Arsalan Qayumi of the Afghanistan Students'
Association, which staged the New Delhi protest.
"The students are neither getting scholarships nor permission to
work in India," he said.
Kumar Tuhin, director general of the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR), a unit of the Ministry of External Affairs,
ICCR, said: "We understand that Afghan students are facing
problems and the government is serious about addressing their
concerns."
He said no student would be forced to leave the country against
their wishes, adding that the External Affairs Ministry would
likely soon decide on the scholarships issue.
The ICCR has previously offered study grants to nearly 1,000
Afghan nationals to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate
studies in India.
These grants consisted of a monthly stipend of between 25,000
rupees ($301) and 28,500 rupees to Afghan students, on top of
subsidised tuition fees and travel expenses.
But for the last two years students say they have faced problems
accessing these funds and many have left their studies or moved
to other countries.
"I want to continue my studies in India, but the government has
not released our stipends," said Parwana Hussaini, who came to
India in 2016 for higher studies. "I don't want to go back, and
I want to continue my higher studies."
($1 = 82.93 rupees)
(Reporting by Manoj Kumar and Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by David
Holmes)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|