India's role important in developing Afghan education

From Lalit K Jha
Washington (PTI) - Observing that India's role
is "extremely important" in development of education sector in
Afghanistan, a top Afghan official on Tuesday said that Kabul
is negotiating with New Delhi to establish an information
technology college in the war-torn nation.
Highly appreciative of the hundreds of scholars being
provided to students of Afghanistan by India, Afghan Education
Minister Farooq Wardak said the Karzai Administration is
looking at additional resources to send more Afghan students
to India as this is the need of the hour for his country.
Currently visiting the US to hold talks with American
officials and the World Bank, Wardak said he would urge USAID
and the Education Secretary during his meetings to allocate
special funds to provide scholarships to Afghan students to
study in Indian educational students.
"That is something in my mind, which I would be
discussing with the Education Secretary Arne Duncan and
USAID," Wardak told PTI.
He argued that it would be too expensive to have
Afghan students in the US for scholarship.
"Also the fear is that these people would not return
to Afghanistan, some of them would wish to settle here in the
US. So in order to prevent that worry it is always better to
train them in India, it is cost effective, it is good quality,
it is easier for us because the language and culture is
friendly to the people of Afghanistan and they are not
stranger in India," he argued.
India's role is extremely important in the development
of education sector in Afghanistan, he said.