Vishakhapatanam: Many students from Afghanistan are afraid that with total withdrawal of US forces after September this year, Taliban will enforce its diktats, making Afghan students in various countries, including India, the worst sufferers.
The issue is worrying Afghan students, including women, studying in colleges of Visakhapatnam. They fear theirs would be their last batch enrolled in various courses. From next year onwards, Afghan students have to enrol for studies within their own country, Afghanistan Students’ Association (ASA) president Abeedullah Aabede told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday.
He confessed to witnessing violence unleashed by Taliban in his childhood. He feared it would resume again, upsetting Afghan economy and education.
“Though they can never take over full power, they will unleash violence, which will have strong influence on youth in rural areas, where education is low,” Abeedullah stated, pointing out that literacy percentage in Afghanistan is below 50 and less than 20 among women.
He pointed out that during last 20 years, many youth have taken advantage of studying abroad. This enabled them to serve Afghan government in various capacities and contribute to their country’s progress. In the process, Afghanistan’s economy too has improved.
“We can only hope that Taliban will have the right sense and continue allowing Afghan students study abroad, so that our country could benefit in turn,” the ASA president said.
But girl students, who have faced many strictures in the past, fear violence will be back. Girls will face many restrictions, including studying abroad. “I am sure Taliban have not changed their mindset. They will bring back what has been forgotten by us,” said Spogmay, doing her first year MBA in the campus college of Andhra University.
She told this correspondent that Taliban would close down small-scale business units operated by women and restrict them to their homes. Girls cannot hope to study abroad. They will be forced to wear traditional attire as prescribed by Taliban.
“We are ready to wear burqas and follow their diktat, provided they allow us to continue education abroad and let women run their independent businesses in Afghanistan,” Spogmay maintained.
There are about 200 Afghanistan students each in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad. Some of them are studying in Guntur and Vijayawada. Around 1,000 Afghans have submitted their applications to Andhra University for doing various courses during the current academic year.
