The Hindu : New Delhi News : For Afghan students, DU is where dreams may come true

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 22, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

For Afghan students, DU is where dreams may come true

Staff Reporter

Number of admission seekers has gone up dramatically compared with last year

NEW DELHI: It might be a country that is still fighting to stand on its own feet, but for Afghans determined to focus on a brighter future, Delhi University seems to be the answer to their dreams. With the University receiving nearly 100 applications this year, the number has gone up dramatically compared with last year.

"There were 30-odd applicants last year. However, this time round the number has seen an increase. It is an encouraging sign. There are students who have finished their Class XII about five years ago, but now want to come and get a graduate degree," says Foreign Students' Advisor A.S. Narang.

And eager to make sense of the rather convoluted world of politics that is playing out in their country, the most in-demand course for Afghan students is Political Science. The other courses that Afghan students are opting for are Commerce and Economics.

"There are students who have also applied for Sociology and Social Work. The Afghan system of education had been approved by Delhi University's Academic Council in 1983, so there is no problem for the students applying. We have issued them acceptance letters and most of them have gone back to get their visas changed from the tourist ones that they came on," says Prof. Narang.

While students from Afghanistan coming to study in Delhi after the Taliban years might be a positive trend, some divides are still very strong and not easy to bridge. There is not a single woman in the applications that the University has received; there is still a long way to go for any sort of gender equality in the country.

"There is one Afghan girl who has applied but she is the daughter of an Afghan diplomat at the embassy in Delhi. She might be a foreign student, but she has studied from a Central Board of Secondary Education school," said Prof. Narang.

Emerging as a destination for higher education among countries in Asia, the University is expecting a10 per cent increase in enrolment of foreign students this year. China is another country that has seen a significant rise in the number of students applying to the University.

"There has been an almost 50 per cent increase in the number of students from China this year. Chinese students have opted for Computer Science and there are students who want to pursue studies at the Masters level. The reason they are choosing the University is because they are getting quality education at a good price. Apart from just the quality of the courses, students also get to sharpen their English skills which is a big incentive for foreign students," points out Prof. Narang.

While the Chinese students might be keeping the gender balance just right, women with higher education dreams from Vietnam are determined not to be left behind. Most of these students pursue Buddhist Studies.

About 1,200 foreign students study at the University at most times and this year there have been 550 new applications. A significant number that the University is quite happy with, its reputation among students from foreign shores is only growing.

"Recently there was a Korean girl who had studied in Pune University but didn't like it and then applied to Delhi University. We are not making an effort, but still students are choosing to come here,"' he says.

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