Number of international students at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, increases four times since 2019

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 21

The number of international students at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has increased almost four times since 2019 as the university takes a leap into the next academic session with an eye on attracting students from Central Asia, Africa and Scandinavian countries. In 2019, the total strength of international students in GNDU was 12 while in the current session, there are 60 international students pursuing various graduate and postgraduate courses.

13.65% of foreign students enrolled in state

As per the 11th All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-21 conducted by the Union Ministry of Education, as much as 13.65 per cent of the foreign students are enrolled in Punjab's higher educational institutions. The highest number of foreign students come to Karnataka (8,137), followed by Punjab (6,557). Bachelors in Technology seem to be a favourite among international students opting to come to Punjab for higher education. In Amritsar, after GNDU, Khalsa College attracts the maximum number of international students.

Last year, while hosting the Y-20 (Youth-20) event under India’s G20 presidency, several experts from the field of education at GNDU stressed on global job opportunities, scope of artificial intelligence-based research and technology and agri-tech as the future field of interest in education. While hosting the Y-20 event, GNDU’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Jaspal Singh Sandhu had invited international students from G20 nations to explore the higher education programmes offered by GNDU. The varsity has also made efforts to collaborate with universities in Canada, the Netherlands and South East Asia. The number of international students seeking admission to GNDU has also increased over the years. The university also runs a knowledge exchange programme with PUM in the Netherlands, under which mentors and experts from that country visit GNDU annually to host workshops in the field of entrepreneurship.

Prof PK Pati, chairperson of university’s International Student Cell, said that a good number of students from Central and South Asia now prefer GNDU. “We have students from Nepal, Bangladesh, Iran and Afghanistan; then we have students from the Middle-East and Africa from countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. The fact is that students from these countries are looking for skill-based professional courses and the university has over the years introduced several of them. These include engineering courses, architecture, business management, even religious studies,” shared Dr Pati. Looking at the growing strength of international students, the university is now in the process of building a separate international students hostel with a capacity of housing 100 students. He said that infrastructure upgrade is on cards as the strength of international students increases further.

BOX: As per the 11th All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-21 conducted by the Union Ministry of Education, as much as 13.65 per cent of the foreign students are enrolled in Punjab’s higher educational institutions. The highest number of foreign students come to Karnataka (8,137), followed by Punjab (6,557). Bachelors in Technology seem to be a favourite among international students opting to come to Punjab for higher education. In Amritsar, after GNDU, Khalsa College attracts the maximum number of international students.

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