India crucial to develop Afghan education: Afghan min

Observing that India's role is "extremely important" in development of education sector in Afghanistan, a top Afghan official today 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.