Why Kashmiri students are going abroad for medical degrees

THE demand of more than 60 organisations to cancel the admission of Muslim students at the newly established Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Katra has put the spotlight on the predicament parents routinely face in Kashmir — given the inadequate facilities in the Valley, where to send their children so they feel “safe”? Though the medical seats were allotted on merit, the Hindu groups are now demanding minority status for the Katra institute and admission only for Hindus. In the Valley, the controversy only reinforces the belief held by many that going abroad for medical studies is the “safest” option.

“Anything happens anywhere in India and Kashmiri students usually are the first target. They face harassment. Parents here have to think multiple times about where to send their children to study because safety is a major factor,” says Abdul Rashid, a Srinagar resident.

“Over the last few years, the parents’ first question is about safety. Given the atmosphere at present, many prefer to send children abroad as safety is their primary concern,” a Srinagar-based consultant told The Tribune.

When Shaista Fayaz (then 19), a north Kashmir resident, decided to pursue her MBBS from a private college in 2018 after missing out on a seat in NEET, she had several options. But her family finally decided she would go to Bangladesh to pursue her dream career. “A safe environment” was the main consideration, but economic viability and quality of education also played a part.

“My father’s first condition was that I would have to study outside India because at that time, we often used to see news reports of harassment of Kashmiris in different states,” Fayaz says. “My options were limited — Pakistan, Bangladesh or Iran. No family member agreed to my going to Pakistan. We then decided on Bangladesh,” she adds.

Like Fayaz, hundreds of boys and girls in the Valley move outside the country to pursue studies in medicine and other courses. Over the years, Bangladesh has emerged as a preferred location.

Mohammad Amir, a Srinagar student who, too, chose to pursue his MBBS in Bangladesh, says the country offers a strong academic environment along with a supportive atmosphere. “The syllabus, textbooks, and teaching methods closely follow the Indian system, making learning familiar and manageable. Busy hospitals provide ample practical exposure, helping students build confidence and develop clinical skills,” he adds.

As Amir’s cousin sister was already studying there, along with many other Kashmiri students, the environment “felt familiar”, he recalls. “The culture, food, and lifestyle are similar to ours. Bangladesh medical colleges are known for discipline and safe campuses, and most are approved by the National Medical Commission, are WHO-listed, and globally recognised. With one of the highest FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduates Examination) passing percentages, it seemed an ideal place for my medical journey,” he says.

Because of a non-existent private sector in Kashmir, the choices for students have been limited — a career in medicine or engineering. For decades, Kashmir has had a craze for doctors, guaranteeing a secure future along with social standing. While Kashmiris are focused on medicine, the Jammu region has a penchant for engineering. So, whenever the competitive exam results are out, Kashmiris dominate the NEET list and Jammu students in the engineering courses.

In the early 1990s, when militancy erupted in Jammu and Kashmir, the Valley had only one medical college: Government Medical College in Srinagar. Worried about their children, anxious parents wanted to send them out for professional education. With Kashmiris being looked at with suspicion in the country, Russia and the Central Asian nations filled the gap.

A large number of students did go to colleges across India, especially to Bengaluru, because of the pleasant weather. However, after the growing “hate” incidents, the students started to look for “safer options”.

Pakistan and Bangladesh emerged as the new destinations for medical courses. With the government’s decision to de-recognise medicine degrees from Pakistan in 2022 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 2020, most students moved to Bangladesh, followed by Iran. In recent years, Kashmiris who pursued their degrees in medicine from Pakistan and PoK have faced difficulty in getting security clearances to take the FMGE.

Jaffar Saleem, director of Srinagar-based Edu Plan Consultants, which sends 60-70 students abroad for studies every year, says in the early 2000, people were less aware about the opportunities. “Parents started sending kids to Pakistan and around 2010, Bangladesh became the preferred destination. The courses were cheaper, there was road accessibility (to Pakistan) and the facilities were attractive,” he adds. As India’s ties with Pakistan deteriorated, parents started avoiding it.

“Today, as Bangladesh has started getting costlier, people are looking for other options,” he says, admitting that the trend of sending children abroad has only increased. Iran has emerged as a popular destination in the last few years. After the Iran-Israel conflict earlier this year, when India launched Operation Sindhu to bring back its nationals stranded in Iran, among them were a large number of students. The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association then said 1,500 students from Kashmir were enrolled in Iran.

Feroz Abbas, who runs a consultancy firm in Srinagar, says Iran has been offering cheaper medical courses, and low-cost living. “A package of MBBS degree mostly starts from Rs 17 lakh and goes up to Rs 30 lakh,” he points out. He cites cultural similarities. “Parents also feel the country is safer for women,” says Abbas. Unlike in India, MBBS courses cost around Rs 30 lakh in Bangladesh, and in Iran, it is Rs 10 lakh cheaper.

Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi, former Vice Chancellor of Kashmir University, says for many years people preferred to move outside for studies because of limited avenues. “However, over the years, there has been an infrastructure push along with improvement in the situation, so a large number of students are now staying back in the Valley.” Andrabi believes that students are choosing different streams as well. He says the government should facilitate more private institutes.

A Srinagar-based academic, however, says that even if the infrastructure and options have doubled, it is still not sufficient to meet the demand. “For a student, the first preference remains Kashmir. Those who don’t get a seat here go either to cities across India or abroad in case of medicine,” he says, adding that the number of students from J&K pursuing courses in different states of the country is significant.

Reacting to the Katra controversy, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has cautioned against denying admission based on religion, saying, “Don’t push Muslim students like this. If you don’t want them to study here, give it minority status and they will go somewhere else. They will go to Turkey or Bangladesh.”