The clock is running out, both in terms of time and money, for Jalaluddin Akbar. The 25-year-old from Afghanistan, whose Indian visa expired two months ago, spends most of his day waiting for news on his scholarship application. Without funding, he cannot secure provisional admission to a PhD programme at the University of Mysore. Akbar, who recently completed his Master's from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), is one of the many Afghan students in the country caught in a grey zone. Their visas have expired and savings are fast depleting while they struggle to get a scholarship and admission to another academic programme in India to stall their return home. “I'm still living in my (JNU) hostel room although I have finished my programme here. Without a (valid) visa, I won't find accommodation elsewhere. I had applied for (visa) extension over a month ago and I'm still waiting. My life right now is so precarious — no stay permit and no admission to a university,” he said. An estimated 14,000 Afghan students are pursuing higher education in India, mainly with the support of scholarships provided by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Three months ago, the ICCR, in the wake of Kabul's fall to the Taliban, permitted all Afghan students who recently finished their academic programme in India to apply for its scholarship to fund further studies. While some have been lucky, there are students, like Akbar, who are yet to arrange financial aid. Hamayoon Batoor, whose parents own a shop in Kabul, arrived in India in 2019 for a Master's degree (Politics) which he completed in 2021. He has since been accepted to an MA programme in Economics at Modern College, Pune, but his parents can no longer fund his education. "I was a self-financed student since our shop back home was still running. But now, with the prevailing economic condition in Afghanistan, that's no longer an option. Scholarship is the only hope," he told The Indian Express. Batoor's application for an ICCR scholarship was rejected. "I had gone to Kabul in May 2021 after completing my degree, but when the political situation got worse, my parents sent me back to India in June with some money that would cover rent and food for a few months. That's what I have been surviving on till date. I don't have enough to pay my college fee of Rs 38,000. I will have to cancel my admission,” he said. Moved by their plight, some universities are stepping in. Savitribai Phule Pune University and Gujarat Technical University (GTU), for instance, have requested ICCR to extend scholarship for their students. Savitribai Phule Pune University has also allowed students to continue living in its hostel for free. Newsletter | Click to get the day's best explainers in your inbox GTU, which on average admits 20 new Afghan students each year across technical programmes, has not had any new admissions this year. All the 71 Afghan students currently enrolled were already studying in India. “The university at present has a total of 71 students from Afghanistan. Of these, 41 cleared undergraduation from GTU itself and have taken re-admission in other courses. According to the university's foreign students' cell records, 13 students have returned to Afghanistan after their ICCR scholarships expired,” said GTU Vice-Chancellor Prof Navin Sheth. But returning home is not an option for the women students who are torn between fear of the Taliban and concern for their families in Afghanistan. When Tahera Khaweri (31) completed her BBA from Savitribai Phule Pune University about five months back, her mother warned her not to return. After completing her BBA, she applied for a programme in GTU and an ICCR scholarship. Fortunately, unlike many others, her application was approved. ICCR president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said they cannot assure scholarships to all the Afghan students currently in the country. "There are rules and regulations governing this (process). Scholarships cannot be doled out to every student, it (decision) is based on merit," he said. "As far as visa and other issues are concerned, that comes under the purview of the ministry," he said. When contacted, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told The Indian Express to send its question to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). "The MHA is seized of the matter and is examining the issue," an MHA official told The Indian Express. Meanwhile, students are being driven to desperation. Some are now taking up odd jobs to support themselves. “The visa rules don’t allow it but with money running out. It’s a big risk but what can we do?” said Shaarique (name changed on request), who completed a Master’s degree last year and is awaiting a scholarship to pursue a PhD programme. He has been granted provisional admission by two universities, but with no word on his scholarship, he doesn't have much choice. “I got a few job offers, one as an HR assistant and another at a private university which offered a part-time teaching job since I had experience of teaching at Herat University. But, due to my visa problem, they withdrew their offer,” he said.
