Hyderabad: In the wake of the increasing number of arrests of foreign nationals, particularly Africans, in drug peddling cases, Foreign Relations Director of the Osmania University Prof C Venugopal on Wednesday advised foreign students on the campus to “desist from all such activities” and extend their cooperation to the varsity and the police in curbing drug menace in the city.
“We know those who are involved aren’t from OU, but please help us and the police by providing any such information that you may have,” said Prof. Venugopal. He was speaking at the convocation for foreign graduates at the university. He suggested that the students can inform the police or the university officials through the social media.
Most of the foreign students at OU come from Africa. In fact, of the 3,698 foreign students, more than 1000 belong to different countries in Africa. “This has had the officials and the police a bit worried,” said an official. Interestingly, 660 students are from Sudan alone while Ethiopia comes next with 212. The rest are from such countries as Tanzania, Somalia etc. More than 100 foreign students belonging to the university and its affiliated colleges received their graduation certificates on Wednesday morning.
OU Vice-Chancellor Prof S Sathyanarayana advised the students to come to the city five or six months in advance and enroll themselves in the Certificate Course in English for Foreign Students (CCEFS) at the university. “It will help those students whose medium of instruction in their respective countries is not English,” he said.
Compared to last year, the influx of foreign students has increased this year. More than 2,100 students had applied for various courses. Of them, 2080 were given provisional admissions and 1110 have been admitted till date. Admissions are still in progress, and the university expects 300-400 more to join. With the number of students increasing steadily each year, OU is now hosting students from more than 80 countries! “This diversity is remarkable. It shows that the university is respected across continents,” said Prof. Sathyanarayana.
Most of the foreign students opt for courses like B.Com, MBA, BCA, M.Com, and engineering streams in the university, showing their popularity abroad. At present, B.Com is the most preferred course, with a maximum of 735 students. B.E/B.Tech come second with 605.
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