Sixteen Afghan nationals in Bengaluru are tense about the continuation of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarship.
They say they must find admission in a higher studies programme by December 31 to keep getting the stipend (Rs 20,000 or more) and house rent allowance given to them as part of their scholarship.
These students wrote the final semester exams of their post-graduation and masters courses at Bangalore University this month. The current scholarship will last till the results come out, likely in January or February next year. They say they can’t afford a break in stipend as they have no other source of money, with the banking system in Afghanistan being in a shambles.
The university isn’t giving admissions to PhD programmes at the moment, and they will have to sign up for other courses if they want the money coming in.
A member of the Afghan Students Association (ASA) explains: “A majority of us had no plans to pursue PhD after the completion of our courses. But the Taliban crisis struck and now we are stranded. We are on student visas in India, so we can’t work here and earn money. The banking system in Afghanistan is disrupted, so our families can’t send us money. The only way out is to continue to study on the ICCR stipend.”
No direct flights are operating between India and Afghanistan yet and the indirect flights are expensive, they say. “We have come to know a girl from the University of Mysore spent Rs 75,000 on an indirect flight via Iran last week,” he shares. The students have written to the vice chancellor of Bangalore University and Governor Thavarchand Gahlot to intervene urgently.
Officials speak
Venugopal K R, vice-chancellor of Bangalore University, says the University Grants Commission (UGC) will have to issue a circular to enable the university to take in Afghan students.
P Venugopal, regional director, ICCR, says the portal for enrolments for 2022-2023 will open in January and students can apply for scholarships even if they haven’t got a PhD admission yet. “They don’t need a letter from the (PhD) guide to apply,” he says. However, the stipend will be released after their application is accepted by a college or university and approved by ICCR, Delhi, and only when the courses begin.