93-year-old Samarkand university in Uzbekistan sees rise in MBBS aspirants from India as war closes Ukraine door Source: Economic Times

93-year-old Samarkand university in Uzbekistan sees rise in MBBS aspirants from India as war closes Ukraine door

With the war closing Ukraine’s door for MBBS aspirants from India, 93-year-old State Samarkand Medical University in Uzbekistan is seeing an exponential rise in the number of Indian students. Till 2021, the public university used to receive around 100 to 150 Indian students and the number has gone up to 3,000 in 2023. The varsity has also accommodated over 1,000 Indian students who were earlier enrolled in various universities in Ukraine and had to leave their courses midway.

“The number of Indian students has risen exponentially and we are also making adequate arrangements to ensure the trend continues and the students do not have to face any discomfort,” Dr Zafar Aminov, Vice Chancellor, State Samarkand Medical University told PTI.

“We have hired over 40 teachers from India this year. Our teaching and learning in English only but we wanted to ensure that students do not find it difficult to deal with any difference in accent,” Aminov said.

“This way, the teachers are culturally close to the students, and those teachers help us manage the students much better,” he added.

Even though the duration of MBBS is six years in Uzbekistan, unlike five and a half years in India, teaching and learning in English, a peaceful atmosphere, affordable fees and practical exposure are the reasons that attract students to the new destination.

“Samarkand is a hidden gem of Central Asia. Earlier, students were going to different countries, and after the war, students came to know about Uzbekistan. There are a few very important things here which are good for students. It is very secure for Indian girls and students.