Iran bans entry of Afghan students to universities

KABUL (Khaama Press): Iran’s Sharq Daily on Sunday reported that the Ministry of Education has instructed universities to avoid the entry of Afghan migrant students holding refugee certificates.
These students will have to travel to Afghanistan and should enter Iran with passports and study visas to get enrolled in universities and educational institutions, the announcement said.
This comes as none of the Afghan Embassies can issue fresh passports to Afghan nationals since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021. Additionally, the central passport department in Kabul has also stopped issuing passports for the past couple of months. Those Afghan citizens holding ‘Amayesh’ cards are recognized as legal refugees in Iran according to the UN Refugee Agency. International human rights conventions will have to oblige Iran to respect the refugee rights of these people. Herewith, Afghan refugees are wrestling with systematic discrimination in Iran.
Daily has written that Afghan students are required to pay tuition fees even for non-degree courses at public universities, according to the laws of Iran’s Ministry of Education.
The newspaper has further highlighted that since students are paying for their courses, the announcement of such statements is nothing but systematic discrimination of students from education, and creating chaos in society.
The Islamic Regime of Iran has been pursuing strict policies regarding Afghan refugees in the recent past. Iran has been continuously deporting undocumented Afghan nationals who fled their home country due to economic and security challenges.
Although the United Nations and refugee advocacy organizations have repeatedly called on Iran to respect human rights, and treat refugees with decency, the Islamic Regime has its unique agenda with regard to asylum seekers who have illegally entered the country.