Solan, (Samajweekly) Authorities of the Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday extended support to students from Afghanistan, who are pursuing their studies at the university.
Currently, eight students from Afghanistan are enrolled in PhD, MSc and MBA programmes of the university. These students have been provided fellowships by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).
University Registrar Prashant Sirkek and Student Welfare Officer J.K. Dubey interacted with the students.
The Registrar spoke to the students and assured them of all necessary help to make their stay at the university comfortable. As the academic session was delayed last year due to Covid, the university has already forwarded the requests of some of the students for extension of visas and has also assured them of expediting the process for the award of their degrees. He also inquired about the well-being of their families.
Dubey said the university has ensured that these students were administered the second dose of vaccine in advance, in anticipation that these students might need to travel to their country.
He informed that the head of the department had also interacted with the students and motivated them.
The students informed that they were in constant touch with their families who were safe back in Afghanistan. Many of the students expressed a desire to pursue their doctorate degrees in India if fellowships were made available. They expressed hope that the situation will normalise in their country.
The university has been a popular destination among Afghan students looking to pursue quality education in horticulture, forestry, and allied disciplines.
