Afghan students in Delhi flock to 'Learning Academy'

By Nalin New Delhi [India], Sept. 5 (ANI): Delhi is home to many Afghan refugees. Apart from the children who have settled here, the national capital also attracts many Afghans from outside due to the rich educational facilities it offers. One of the institutes that cater to the needs of the Afghan students is 'Learning Academy'. The institute at Jangpura Extension takes in Afghans at nominal fees and sometimes for free. There are different courses that are run for about 2,000 Afghan students, who attend classes like computer courses, English speaking courses and Mathematics. The institute provides all the things necessary for the students, including study materials, trained faculty and computers. The founder of the Learning Academy, Prawal Mani Tripathi, launched the institute after teaching at another tuition centre. He is working hard to fulfill his dream of opening a fully fledged school for the Afghan students. "I started teaching the Afghan people at very subsidized rate. We teach English in which there are three levels. For that we charge Rs. 2,500 or 38$. We provide three books by Oxford University press along with other expenses like notebooks and pencils. We make them empowered so that they could be confident," Tripathi said. Tripathi said they help the students realize their dream of speaking English. "We take test on first day and according to their performances, we put them in different brackets," he added. He said that he has immediate goals to open a school for the Afghan students. "I have also influential people but opening school in Delhi is very difficult job and requires huge investment and I hope one day I will open a school" he added. The academy has become a hit with the students as well as parents. Many of them have felt a positive change after undergoing tuitions here and have become confident members of the society. "I am reading Mathematics, English and Hindi here. I don't have any problem with teachers.they teach us very well. This centre is very well. My parents don't have any problem to send me here because this is good." said Hafiz, one of the students of the academy. "Before coming here, I couldn't do anything on basic softwares and it was very difficult for me. But now it's very easy for me. All the teachers are good." said Faramarz Sharifi, another student of the academy. Most of these students wish to continue their education in India. They also accept the fact that there are security issues that force them to leave their country and migrate elsewhere. "I want to continue my education in India and be a good engineer in future. Every country has some problems. We came here and it's a good place for the Afghan people." said Mulqaan, an Afghani student. (ANI)