The return of Indian students back to the war-torn nation is highly unlikely

Many factors contribute to Indian students landing in Ukraine for higher studies particularly in medicine, engineering and other professional streams: lower fees and cheaper living expenses, world-recognised courses, ease of admission, relative proximity to India, English as medium of instruction, peaceful nature of the country, opportunities to move elsewhere from this gateway to Europe. All these factors make our students finalise Ukraine as their choice of destination.  At last count, Ukraine admitted more than 63,000 students from 130 countries of the world. There are numerous consultancies and admission businesses that help students from different countries secure admission in the universities of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian government records, compared to any other country, India sends the largest number of international students to Ukraine. Indian Parliament was informed in June last year that 18,000 Indian students were enrolled in educational institutions in Ukraine, more than in Russia and France (16,500 and 10,000, respectively). Indian students stuck in Ukraine when the war commenced were naturally in a quandary as their career prospects were at stake. Thanks to the efforts of the Indian government, they have returned safe. The few still staying there are hopeful that the present crisis shall pass and normalcy will be restored soon. As big relief to the evacuee students, after earlier admission offers from Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus and Poland, universities in Russia and Crimea have come to the fore to accept such students especially from medical streams at no additional cost and without entrance tests. In fact, 140 Indian students have already been directly enrolled in the Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine & Pharmacy (SUMP), Moldova. At home, some chief ministers have shown willingness to accept the students from Ukraine. The apex medical regulatory body Indian Medical Association has agreed that the medical students from Ukraine can be adjusted in Indian medical schools as a one-time solution. If the proposal is accepted by the National Medical Commission, multiple functional difficulties are sure to crop up. The actual number of these students may be above 23,000.  Even if authorities approved incremental seats beyond its already stretched capacity, teacher-student ratio shall be adversely affected and lab and other necessary facilities in place may be in disarray. The students are also at different levels and not grounded in Indian curricula. That means, if somehow admitted, they shall face difficulty adjusting and quality of education may be compromised besides impinging on the prospects of domestic students who have qualified NEET. Further, certain universities of Ukraine are not in the approved list in India, and vice versa. Online study in medicine, as suggested by Ukraine, is counter-productive because practical classes are mandatory. Return of the students back to Ukraine is uncertain. The same is the case with China — the thousands of students who returned to India due to Covid-19 are still unable to go back and complete their courses due to denial of permission to international students and lack of visas. For the Ukraine-returned students, much depends on the stance India takes on the Russia-Ukraine tussle. Let us believe, best shall come out. In this context, it is worth noting how inter-country invasions not only devastate the target country to varying degrees but also enervate innocent people of other nationalities residing there. More than just a typically hegemonic move, the current Russian attack on Ukraine can be construed as a reprimand for some perceived or actual faultof significant magnitude by its one-time ‘brother’. Given the secretive ethos of mighty Russian President Vladimir Putin and his known history of taking rash, independent decisions, it is difficult to foresee what comes next.

(The writer is a blogger and senior journalist. The view expressed are personal.)