BENGALURU: Like many students from outside India, Afghan students too choose Bengaluru to pursue their education in hopes of getting better jobs. But since August, Afghani students have been fighting a language barrier at Bangalore University.
Fourteen weeks ago, Afghani students studying under Bangalore University signed a petition requesting the management to include the official language of Afghanistan, Pashto, for Afghan students. “Getting acquainted with and studying a new language as an additional subject becomes extremely difficult for us. Learning Advanced English Literature and Persian is a strenuous task for the Pashtuns since we barely know about it.
Hence our request to include Pashto language in the curriculum,” said Mahmood Fahim, the initiator of the petition. So far, the petition has 1,368 signatures and has to reach 1,500 signatures. “We have even contacted the Embassy about this but there is no response from their end,” he added.
There are 60 colleges affiliated to Bangalore University, but none of them has Pashto as a subject to choose. The university has other options for international students. African students have French, Iranian students have Persian and students from Gulf countries have Arabic as an option. Pashtuns, however, have to extensively study Iranian poets and their lifestyle to pass examinations. Fahim further said, “We are not asked anything regarding the culture, language and literature of our country. Since we are already acquainted with it, examinations would have been easier, unlike the struggle we now face.”
BBA student Ahmad Karimi said, “There is no allocated teacher for Persian language, it becomes difficult to study before an exam.” Agreed Fahim, adding that the students use Google or refer to old question papers to get a hold on the new language.
Fahim, who will be leaving for Afghanistan in January 2019, said, “Since there is no teacher and no class, what makes Bangalore University not publish question paper in Pashto language? If they need a teacher for Pashto language, we would provide the University with the same and we are ready with any assistance from our end to make this easier.”
Professor Venugopal KR, vice chancellor, Bangalore University, said “We’ve introduced French and German, so we can definitely introduce Pashto as well.”