Ukraine-returned students taken in by 29 EU varsities

Vijayawada: the same day last year, both the Indian government and Andhra Pradesh government made hectic efforts to rescue and bring back the stranded students from the war-torn Ukraine.

Thousands of students from India, majority of them pursuing their education in medical wing returned to the country including nearly 2,000 students from both AP and Telangana States.

When The Hans India made an attempt to know the plight of those students who were forced to return back in the middle of their academic stream, one of the students, Eswar from AP, who returned to India while studying third year and at present completing his medical degree course in Georgia said that after the Ministry of External Affairs and National Medical Commission gave permission to continue their education in 29 EU Universities with the approval from their parent university in Ukraine he got admission in a medical university in Georgia.

Speaking to The Hans India over phone, the student said as both the students and their parents were worried about their education and were keen not to waste one year, majority of the Ukraine-returned students made efforts and got admissions in several EU universities. Majority of students got admission in Russian universities too. When asked about the information of other students who got rescued from Ukraine, he said he has no information at present.

It may be noted that hundreds of Ukraine returned students staged protest in Delhi in June last year demanding that the government give permission for admission in Indian medical colleges to complete their education. The Central government made it clear that it will not be possible as per the Act of National Medical Commission (NMC). However, under Ukraine's academic mobility programme, the NMC gave permission to students to get admissions in 29 EU universities.

The NMC clarified that under Academic mobility programme, the Ukraine universities will issue the degree. As per the NMC notification three medical universities in Georgia are also given permission for admitting Ukraine returned Indian medical students.

Union Minister of Health Mansukh Mandaviya recently stated that medical students who completed their MBBS at Ukraine universities before June 2022 would be asked to complete a two-year compulsory rotating medical internship (CRMI) to get acquaintance with Indian medical system.

In a recent letter addressed to Zaheerabad MP BB Patil on the fate of Ukraine-returned medical students, the Union Minister made it clear that there was no provision to transfer International medical students to Indian medical institutions and stated that the government granted a no objection for Ukraine's academic mobility programme.

Though majority of the Ukraine returned students are continuing their education in universities of several other countries, the plight of some of the students is yet to be known.