Foreign presence at Guj university on the rise

Over the past two years, Gujarat University has succeeded in providing its students with an atmosphere to interact and learn more about different countries and cultures. From having a nondescript presence at the university two years ago, the number of foreign students is now 157, in both regular and part-time courses.

Among the foreign students at Gujarat University, those from Afghanistan are most in number. From just 11 last year, the number of students from Afghanistan has increased to 47 this academic year. Students from Bhutan and Nepal are also in considerable number, while there are also some from the US, Canada and Belgium, among other countries.

“We (Gujarat University) have been allotted 47 students from Afghanistan under the prime minister’s scheme, this year. In addition, we have students from Bhutan and Nepal, and one from Yemen pursuing a PhD, while one student from Iraq is pursuing an MTech degree,” vice-chancellor of Gujarat University, Parimal Trivedi said.

In addition to the above, two students from Japan are at the university under a student exchange programme. Most of the foreign students at Gujarat University have been accommodated at the guest house on campus.

“I am amazed to see a whole new culture here. The students and people I have met so far are nice, but the traffic is horrendous. I have never seen so many types of animals and birds living side by side with human beings,” said Naoki Matsuo, a student from Hiroshima, Japan.

It is worth mentioning that at the other universities in Gujarat, there are few students from outside India. There are some, like the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, that have no foreign students, in fact few from even other states of India.