Explained | Why are Indian students in Canada protesting?

Canada: Students have been protesting for weeks. (Image credit: m_y_s_o._/Instagram)

Thousands international students, mainly from India, have been affected after three Canadian colleges shut down abruptly after collecting millions of dollars in tuition fees. Following protests, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa issued an advisory for Indian students affected by the sudden change.

Three colleges in the country’s Quebec province - M College in Montreal, CDE College in Sherbrooke, and CCSQ College in Longueuil - pushed up deadlines for tuition fees, requiring students to pay up hefty quantities all of a sudden, Canada's CBC News reported. The colleges later issued a notice to students earlier this month that they were closing altogether.

Students affiliated to the Montreal Youth Student Organization took out a car rally on February 17, in support of the affected international students, from a gurudwara in Quebec’s Montreal to the province’s ministry of education office. On January 29 too, a protest rally was taken out from outside the same gurudwara.

At another protest in Ontario province earlier this month, students shouted in Punjabi, “Haq len aaye haan, haq lay ke javan gey (We’re here to seek justice, we won’t stop till we get justice),” The Canadian Bazaar reported.

“I had just four months left of my 16-month course when the college suspended studies. I don’t know where to go,” Vishal Rana, a student from Haryana’s Karnal, was quoted as saying. The student of CCSQ College had reportedly paid $24,000 in tuition fees.

Protests have also been taking place in India, specifically Punjab, with the latest one being organised in Ludhiana on Monday.

Some of the key demands of the protesting students are refund of the fees and help from the Justin Trudeau government in completing their courses by transferring their credits to other colleges.

The abrupt closures of the three colleges prompted thousands of Indian students to flock to the Indian High Commission in Canada's capital Ottawa for assistance, since many of them had been forced to come up with thousands of dollars in fees without warning, only to have their education halted.

"The High Commission has been approached by several students from India who were enrolled in the three institutions," said the High Commission of India, in an advisory released on Friday.

"In the event that they find any difficulty in reimbursement of their fees or transfer of fees, they may file a complaint with Ministry of Higher Education, Government of Quebec," stated the advisory. It also assured students that there were avenues through which they could attempt to recover their lost money.

The advisory noted that the High Commission has been in close contact with Canada's federal government, Quebec's provincial government, as well as elected representatives from Canada's Indian community to provide support to the students.

The students were also informed that they are free to approach the Education Wing of the High Commission in Ottawa or the Consulate General of India in Toronto if they require immediate assistance regarding the issue.