VISAKHAPATNAM: There is an increase in the number of international students pursuing PG and research programmes in Andhra University. But they are unable to cope with the language and writing skills. In a bid to improve their performance in academics, each department is conducting special classes after college hours.
While the number of foreign students in AU is 400, 168. In the previous year, 120 students got admissions. “Most of the students come from Ethiopia, Nepal, Afghanistan and Bhutan. As an added feature, we are also allowing foreign students to pursue any PG course in the Distance mode since last year,” said Dean of International Affairs and Public Relations B Mohan Venkata Ram.
While there were initially not many who opted for distance education, this year around 50-60 students took up courses in the distance mode simultaneously. “The Embassy gets more than 1,000 applications every year, where they screen and select students before contacting the university. Once they get admissions they undergo training to adapt themselves to local conditions,” he added. On the backlogs, the Dean said, “Foreign students especially from Afghanistan and Iran are not used to English. We are running bridge courses and special supplementary examinations.”