Delhi Univ plays up global appeal

NEW DELHI: The end of the Taliban regime and the subsequent reforms have given Afghan students a chance to study abroad, with many opting for the prestigious Delhi University. The number of Iranian, Nepalese, Korean, Chinese, Cambodian and Vietnamese students applying to DU have also shown an upward trend.

At the other end of the spectrum, civil wars and political instability in war-torn Africa explain the fall in the number of African students coming to DU, unlike earlier times, when African students made up the majority of foreign students in the university.

Almost 5% of seats at the under-graduate level are reserved for foreign nationals. Interestingly, 80% of foreign students go in for arts and social science courses, with only 20% opting for science courses. According to professor A S Narag, foreign students advisor of DU, choice of course depends upon the region students come from.

Political science, economics and commerce appear to be the most popular choices for students coming from Afghanistan. Chinese students opt for courses like computers and commerce, while, interestingly, Hindi and Urdu are popular among students coming from Mauritius due to the teaching job options available to them back home.

The decline in the number of African nationals has been due to the political unrest and civil wars, especially in Somalia and Sudan. While there were six Sudanese students in 2003-2004, in 2005-06 the number fell to three, the number of Afghan students have increased from 14 in 2003-04 to 90 this year. Students coming in from developed countries like the US do not usually enroll for full-time programmes, but come as part of the study abroad component of their course.

Ilyas, an Afghan national, here on a scholarship and a second-year commerce student at Ramjas College, talks about his experience so far. “I had applied to both the Czech Republic as well as India, and getting a scholarship to study at DU was a dream come true.

In the beginning, it is a little difficult to adjust, but once you’re settled in, it can be a whole lot of fun,” he says. Asked about some of the common problems being faced by the foreign students, Ilyas mentions the tedious application process and accommodation hassles.

The International Students House for women and another one for men accommodate roughly 100 students each, and professor Narag hopes to set up a similar 100 seater at south campus as well.

Future plans include providing foreign students with online applications to make the process more convenient for them. On an average, 550 foreign students are admitted every year, and professor Narag expects this number to increase to 600 this year.