For these Afghan kids, India is like home now

Four years ago, Ahmed Faizan could not even have dreamed of a life without violence and disturbance. Today, the 15-year-old Afghani refugee is not only far away from the strife but also pursuing his studies in a peaceful environment.

Faizan is one of the 41 Afghani students studying in the Shaheed Hemu Kalani Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Lajpat Nagar. Many government schools in Delhi are running Special Training Centers (STCs) for students like Faizan, who had to leave their studies midway due to several reasons. “There is widespread violence in my country. I never thought I would be able to complete my studies. But in 2012, my family moved to India and I started studying here. It is a completely different experience altogether,” says the Class IX student.

“Initially, it wasn’t easy for me to mingle with the students here. I felt like an outsider. Some students even asked us what we were doing in their country. I used to feel like returning,” he says. But gradually, he made friends and started to like his school. “Now, I have many friends,” says Faizan in fluent Hindi. “We train these students under the STC programme to bring them at the same level as other students and shift them to regular classes — VI-VIII. Some of them have never even been to schools, some had to drop out, and some are from marginalised sections of society, who never got an opportunity to study,” says BK Sharma, Principal, Shaheed Hemu Kalani Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya.

The duration of the programme varies from three months to two years, depending upon the requirement of the students. “But till now, no student had to continue the STC classes for more than a year. At present, as many as 20 Afghani students are studying with regular students at our schools,” Sharma says, adding that the STC classes include both Afghani and Indian students. Sehar Jilani, 14, another Afghani migrant, is also happy, especially about the fact that she did not have to get married at a young age, like her best friend back home. “Three years ago, my best friend in Kabul got married. I was terrified at the time. I’m really happy that I have come to India. I want to study and become a doctor,” says the STC student.

Jilani, who is also a part of the dramatics team of the center, had recently played the role of a child-bride, who was thrown out by her in-laws. “It is scary to think about the lives of girls who actually go through such an experience,” she says.

Mohammad Sami, 15, who didn’t have to attend STC classes and got enrolled at the school directly, says India is home to him now. “India ab ghar jaisa hi lagne laga hai (India seems like home now). I would not like to go back to Afghanistan,” he says.