Number of foreign students rising at Rajshahi University

The number of foreign students at Rajshahi University (RU) has been increasing over the last few years. This number is increasing every year due to the ease of diplomacy, simplifying admission process, reducing tuition fees, and ensuring various facilities.
In 2017-18 academic year, 36 foreign students applied for admission in RU.
After the scrutiny, the university authority selected 31 students. Among them, 17 students have been selected for honors and 14 for masters. From the selected students, 14 have been admitted till now. Among the 17 nominees for the first year admission in the first phase, 16 students are Nepali and one Jordanian student. So far, 6 students have been admitted in honors and 6 in the Master's degree. Those who have admitted in Master's degree, all of them are Somalian students.
Five of them have admitted in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. Out of the remaining 9 students, two admitted in the Department of Economics and Agronomy and Agricultural Extension and each of the rest in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Pharmacy, Chemistry and Fisheries respectively.
But the foreign students are facing language problem everywhere. Regarding the problems of the foreign students, the Faculty of Engineering has proposed to launch 'Communicative Bangla' centrally to eliminate communication problems of foreign students. Similar claims have been made by other department teachers.
Talking to foreign students it was learned that the syllabus of most of the university's departments has now been formulated in English. Almost two or four teachers from each department take classes in Bengali. And here the foreign students have to fall in a big problem of language.
Krishnapada Roy, a foreign students of Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, said, "Some teachers take classes in English and English-Bangla mixed. But they do not understand anything in some classes taught in Bangla language. We could not talk to a friend without the three Nepali friends. Initially these issues psychologically have suffered a lot. After a lot of effort, now we can understand something about Bangla language but we understand nothing of Bangla lecturer sheet, given by the teachers.
Professor Dr Abu Zafar Mohammad Toheedul Islam, chairman of Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering said, 'For the problems of foreign students, our engineering faculty has already offered to start a 'Communicative Bangla' course to university authorities. This process is underway. All of the foreign students of RU here can learn Bengali after the common course. The problem of contacting them will be overcome then.'
Regarding Bangla class, he said, 'though syllabus is in English, but our mother tongue is Bangla. So, Bangla becomes easy to understand for the students in the class. Most teachers take classes in English or take classes in English-Bangla. We discussed the matter with the teachers.'
Rafiqul Hasan Firoz is a Rajshahi district correspondent.