With the uncertainty prevailing in Afghanistan after the terrorist organization Taliban takes over the country, the common people were left in a state of disparity to face their wrath. While the political leaders fled to the middle-eastern countries, the common people and students were left with no options but to live in fear and doubt. As most of the countries have come forward to provide all the necessary help to the Afghan people, the students who are staying abroad for studies are going through a lot of difficulties. Worried for their families who are left back in their country and are unable to get in touch with them, the students are also living in constant fear of being deported back to their home country amidst all this chaos. Mostly the women students are prone to danger as they will be stripped off of their freedoms and will be imposed to live amidst the restrictions of Sharia law. There is a possibility that the female students will either be married off instantly or killed for pursuing higher education or being career-centric.
As per the Indian Survey of Higher Education AISHE Report 2019-20, India documented the admission of more than 4,500 students from Afghanistan. It is considered to be the second maximum drift of students from any foreign country into India. Low living costs, easily obtained visas, better educational facilities and cultural similarities have drawn a fair share of Afghan students to India. Amidst the continuing pandemonium, Afghan students are relying on the decisions of Indian Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to authorize them to study on-campus and help them resolve their visa issues. Offering the Afghan students all the necessary assistance through scholarships, helpline numbers as well as visa applications, Indian HEIs are rising to address the occasion and are helping the Afghan students to secure a better life of their own. To make this initiative a complete and inclusive approach, some of the points are mentioned below which can be implemented by the HEIs.
- On-Campus Admissions: By getting admission into the campuses, the students will get rooms to stay. Due to the pandemic, most of the students were continuing their studies from Afghanistan only. However, under the current circumstances, educational institutions should call back their students as soon as possible so that they can be safe and will be able to pursue their education unperturbedly.
- Conducting online classes: Since most of the students were not able to leave their country and some died while doing so, online classes should not be stopped even after the offline classes are resumed. In some areas of Afghanistan, the internet facilities are still intact and students are continuing their education via online classes only. Amidst this war of life and death, the quest for education should remain continuous.
- Visa processing: While most Afghan students have their student visas with them, a fair share of these visas will be invalid in the near future as the validity period will be over soon. Students have been requesting for visa extension and applied for e-visas that the Indian government has announced for Afghan nationals. IIT-Delhi has reportedly requested to the Ministry of External Affairs to fasten the visa processing for Afghan students, so that, they can arrive safely on campus and take in-person classes.
- Payment deadline extension: Afghan refugee students are facing hardships to survive and many of them are lagging behind the due date to pay their tuition fees. Having no contact with the family and livelihood almost gone, Afghan refugee students are looking for the expansion of payment deadline. Along with a few IITs and NITs, Lovely Professional University has also extended its deadline to pay fees for the Afghan students. IIT Roorkee has affirmed that the sponsoring agency will be paying the tuition fees of the students and those who are studying remotely won’t have to pay any fee at present. It is further revealed that specific discounts and fee waivers are also available for students admitted through the Study in India programme, although eligibility criteria have remained unchanged.
- Offering Support: At such times, what these students need most is emotional and psychological support. With the world staying silent over such a crucial matter, we common people can at least extend our love and support to the refugee students by extending a helping hand towards them.
