HYDERABAD: The woes of Telugu students aspiring to pursue higher education in the US seem never ending. Close to the heels of the deportation of 14 Indian students by US customs authorities and the decision of Air India to stop students from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana pursuing courses at two California-based univeristies, which are under ‘scrutiny’, Ethihad Airways also barred another batch of 20 students from boarding a flight to the US on Tuesday.
The students who arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) Tuesday evening were shocked to learn that their tickets have been cancelled. Further, the Airlines also reportedly demanded `14,000 from the students as cancellation charges.
The airline officials claimed that like Air India, they too have received official communication from the US government informing them about the blacklisting of two universities - Silicon Valley University(SVU) and the Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU). Mohemmed Imran, a student from Hyderabad, told Express, “The Etihad officials informed that our tickets have been cancelled. They said there was a mail from the US government asking them not to allow any students pursuing studies at SVU and NPU to proceed. But they did not show us the mail copy.” Refusing to go back, the students decided to stay on the Airport premises until they were allowed to board the flight. Many students are learnt to have already paid huge amount for admission. Ameer, a student from Hyderabad, who secured admission in NPU, said: “I have paid $ 7,000 to the university as my fee for first semester. Another `3 lakh has been spent towards the paper work. Who will refund my money if I lose this opportunity?,” he rued. I have no intention to cancel my ticket, he added. While the uncertainty over the accreditation of the California based universities remains unsolved, the central government has stepped in.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, on Tuesday, assured that the list of all universities blacklisted by the US would be announced soon.