a good thing if meant well. but not, if written with a motive best known to the writer of this old article.
your thoughts?
Indian Scholarships for Outstanding Pakistani Students
Q Isa Daudpota November 16, 2006
Tags: indo-pak , education
A friend of mine who went for his undergraduate and graduate degrees to Europe on a German government scholarship over 40 years ago remains to this day grateful for that experience. Despite having spent most of his professional life in Pakistanhe feels more comfortable with his old German friends and takes off for Heidelberg at the slightest excuse. It would appear that the Germans have planted a ‘love and affection’ chip in him! Many others have fond memories of their experience overseas, and maintain contacts with academics and friends in their host countries. Most are grateful for the scholarships that enabled their studies and for other forms of help they received in their formative years. In some cases students returned home with foreign spouses.
In the postwar years, the UK, US, USSR and to a lesser extent Germany provided generous opportunities for South Asian students to spend extended periods of study in their countries. While many stayed back and contributed to the ‘brain drain’ a significant number returned home having formed close ties with their country of studies. They were the best ambassadors of goodwill on their return. Not just that, but when equipment needed to be bought or other expert advice was required they invariably relied on their old host country for inputs.
Over the years other countries that have improved their academic infrastructure offer convenient access to higher education for students of developing countries. India with its English-based education system is attractive for its other Anglophile neighbors. It’s time that India used this advantage to create goodwill and take diplomatic advantage of its academic prowess. This article suggests ways in which it can do so with particular reference to Pakistan and extendable to the SAARC countries.
Presently, support that is available to Pakistani students to pursue higher studies includes non-English-speaking countries like Cuba, which has generously offered many scholarships. However, Cuba continues to use Spanish and Pakistani students need to spend a year acquiring the language prior to professional training.
The first batch of 500 Pakistani students will leave for Cuba this year to start their medical education under these scholarships. Havana announced 1,000 scholarships when its medical teams worked in the earthquake-affected areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and North West Frontier Province. They are for graduate studies in general comprehensive medicine (equivalent to MBBS) in leading Cuban medical institutions.
The Cuban ambassador announcing the scheme said that Pakistan and Cuba have a vast scope for improving their bilateral, trade, economic and cultural relations and these scholarships will further these objectives.
India would come up a winner if it were to emulate Cuba’s example for supporting bright Pakistani students. Today India has 300 universities and over 15 thousand colleges, and churns out 2.5 million graduates each year. Among them are 350 thousand engineers, twice the number the US produces. The cost for a scholarship program for 1000 Pakistani students for the Indian government would be insignificant compared with its overall spending on higher education or its defense expenditure directed at Pakistan-related concerns. The immediate benefits of the scholarship scheme for the two countries would be immeasurable.
In the post-Kargil era Indians and their government remain very suspicious of the government of Pakistan. Stereotypes of the ‘other’ abound in the minds of many people across the border. The Kashmir issue looms large despite the recent confidence building measures of the two governments, and the continuing efforts of concerned citizens and NGOs. Making the resolution of the Kashmir problem a prerequisite has become an excuse for the Pakistan government not to open its borders to cultural and social exchanges. Such an opening would lead to a greater understanding amongst the people and improve the chances of a mutually agreeable resolution. However, this realization has yet to appear within the bureaucracies of the two countries.
If India were to take the initiative and provide scholarships for Pakistani students, no government in Pakistan would be able to resist the pressure of students and their parents keen to avail this opportunity to have access to Indian institutions. Arrangement could be made to select students either through tests in India or a special selection process in Pakistan. Those selected on merit could get partial or full scholarship for studies in any subject of choice.
Such a gesture should not be contingent on Pakistan reciprocating. It would however become inevitable for Pakistan to allow Indian students too to come study in Pakistan. This would be particularly appropriate in areas such as anthropology and archeology where the two countries share a common heritage. Agriculture and environmental issues are common and could be areas for mutually beneficial interactions.
Compared with Pakistan, Indian centers of learning are generally very vibrant, with academic staff involved in high quality research. This attitude will rub off on the Pakistani student who will also get to appreciate the people and culture of India. Close bonds between the students and their contemporaries and academics are bound to form when students stay in India for extended period – 4 years for undergraduate studies.
These thoughts come to me as I prepare to visit Delhi for a “Conflict Transformation Workshop” organized by WISCOMP, a Dalai Lama supported NGO. This and other such gatherings help to create bonds of understanding but have limited impact due to the short duration of contact. In contrast a 4-year scholarship scheme would transform young Pakistani and Indian minds and have a sustained impact on the relations of the two countries. India has everything to gain from such a bold exercise in diplomacy and goodwill.
Chowk: : Indian Scholarships for Outstanding Pakistani Students