Cheaper cost, cultural similarities draw Kashmiri students to Iran
An estimated 2,000 Kashmiri students, half of them girls, enrolled in medical and other professional courses in Iran are caught in the crossfire as the conflict with Israel entered its fourth day on Monday with no signs of abating. While the Indian embassy in Tehran is facilitating the relocation of the students to safer places, worried families in the Kashmir Valley have pinned their hopes on the Centre that has good ties with both Israel and Iran.
According to officials, around 5,000 students from Kashmir are studying professional courses, particularly medicine, in different countries with 80% pursuing their degrees in Bangladesh and Iran. Kashmiri students head for medical courses in Central Asian countries and China also.
Over the past decade, the number of Kashmiri students pursuing professional courses in Iran has increased manifold due to affordability and a similar cultural milieu so much so that the Valley is known as Iran-e-Sagheer (Little Iran). Most students from the Valley are enrolled in institutions in the Iranian cities of Tehran, Shiraz and Kish.
An MBBS degree from a private medical college in India costs about ₹1 crore, while in Bangladesh the tuition fee alone is around ₹30 lakh, while in Iran the entire course costs ₹30 lakh.
Another reason Kashmiri parents prefer to send their wards to Iran is because it is Shia-dominated like the Valley.
'I chose to send my son to Iran because I couldn't afford the medical college fee here. He is now a final year MBBS student in Kish city. He feels at home in Iran due to the similar culture and food. In fact, many Wazwan varieties served in Kashmiri cuisine have Iranian origin,' said Khursheed Ahmad of Baramulla. 'I am hopeful that our government, which has good ties with both Iran and Israel, will get the students out of the conflict zone safely. Once the situation improves, they can return to continue their studies,' Ahmad said.
Maqsood Ahmad, a parent from Srinagar, said: 'There were three reasons why I chose Iran for my daughter, who is a second-year MBBS student. First, the fee is affordable; second, the culture is similar; and third, the climate is conducive. There are dozens of Kashmiri students studying with her. The Iran-Israel conflict has left all of us worried. I'm in touch with my daughter and she has told me that they are being moved out of Tehran to an undisclosed location.'
Another parent from uptown Srinagar, Imtiyaz Khan said he had enrolled his son in a medical college in Tehran last year. 'I had three choices: Russia, Bangladesh and Iran. Due to the moderate climate, similar culture and good feedback from students in Iran, I chose Tehran,' he said, adding, 'Till yesterday (Sunday), almost all students in hostels were safe. A majority of them now want to move out as they fear the situation can turn worse. So far, I'm in touch with my son.'
Since the late '70s, Shia Muslim students from Kashmir have been heading to Iran for religious studies. Many top Shia clerics have got their religious degrees from universities and religious institutions of Iran. Since the late '80s, students from Kashmir started pursuing medical education in colleges of Iran. Back then, recommendations from prominent Shia leaders earned students tuition fee rebates. However, over the past decade, both Shia and Sunni students from the Valley have been going to Iran due to affordable education.
The political turmoil and violence in Bangladesh, where hundreds of students from Jammu and Kashmir are currently enrolled, besides increasing cost of living and hot and humid weather led many parents to prefer medical and engineering colleges in Iran for their wards this time.
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