E-Paper
AU misses MHRD deadline yet again
ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY (AU), following on its past traditions, has once again failed to meet a deadline set by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)? albeit this time in submitting the details of foreign students pursuing courses at the varsity.
ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY (AU), following on its past traditions, has once again failed to meet a deadline set by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)— albeit this time in submitting the details of foreign students pursuing courses at the varsity.
The MHRD had sought detailed information regarding the number of seats of foreign students, number and origin of such students along with their department-wise break-up from all the varsities including the AU latest by April 28 through a fax superscribed "Most Important" and dated April 26 that was received at AU on that very day.
The fax was in response to the Centre's recent decision to reserve five per cent of the already set 15 per cent super-numerary seats meant for the foreign students for the children of Indian workers employed in the Gulf and South-East Asian countries in all the universities.
It is to be recalled that the government had already permitted all the universities to create up to 15 per cent super numerary seats in the educational institutions for the foreign students including Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs).
In the fax, sent to AU by MHRD deputy secretary RD Sahay, AU has been instructed to provide a detailed note about the measures taken so far by the university to attract foreign students including PIOs in India.
The MHRD has further asked AU to also provide information about the extent to which the facility has been availed at AU indicating the total number of super numerary seats created, department wise and the position of actually filled seats along with separate details about PIOs and children of Indian workers employed in Gulf and South-East Asian countries latest by April 28.
However, even till date, not only the Central varsity had not sent the information to MHRD but no one at the AU, including the Dean Students Welfare Prof Jagdamba Singh and the Foreign Students' Advisor Prof NR Farooqui were believed to be in a position to tell the exact number of foreign students studying at the varsity or the other relevant information sought by the MHRD. AU's casual attitude in this regard is more surprising in light of the fact that just last year the sudden disappearance of a foreign national enrolled at AU as a research scholar had created quite a problem when the Local Intelligence Unit officials had started questioning AU authorities about the foreign student's whereabouts on the instruction of the Union Ministry of External Affairs.
