A glimmer of hope for Afghan migrants in New Delhi

TMP – 26/04/2017

There are approximately 10,000 Afghan migrants currently living in New Delhi in India. Getting into government or private schools can be difficult for these migrants, but several organizations are now working to provide basic education to the Afghan community in the city.

One of these is Bridges Academy, a school specifically aimed at Afghan teenagers in New Delhi. Hundreds of Afghan children are given the chance to learn and complete their education at the academy, where they are taught English, science, mathematics and social studies.

“The education system of Afghanistan is very different from India. The Bridges Academy has helped me a lot. I joined this academy last year, and since then, I have learned a variety of things like communication and language. The teachers are very nice, they don’t only teach us the subjects, but help us to understand the basic concepts,” said Sara, an Afghan student at the school.

The school provides an education equivalent to a high school degree. If the students pass the final exam they get a leaving certificate, which is recognized in the US, and that allows them to apply to most universities abroad.

The biggest challenge the students face is knowledge of English as most of them have previously only studied in Dari in Afghanistan.

“Since they didn’t study subjects in English they have to start from scratch. And if their English is reasonably okay then we will admit them in eighth grade and they will pick up English and gain terminology related to science, social studies and mathematics. It’s a tough thing and we have to cope with the situation and do our best because we are serving this community,” David, the principal of Bridges Academy, said.