30% universities lack nodal officers for foreign students

Foreign students in the state have been panicky after the attack on a Tanzainan girl by a mob in north Bengaluru on January 31. During a demonstration held in the city on Friday, they demanded that colleges and universities set up help centres for foreign students.
Incidentally , the Overseas Centre for Foreign Students (OCFS) of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) had issued directives to universities in October 2015 to compulsorily have a teaching faculty member as the nodal officer to address problems faced by foreign students.But 30% of the universities have not yet appointed any such officer till date.
There are 50 universities, including deemed and private, in Karnataka.
According to an official in KSHEC, the nodal officers have to respond to academic and non-academic issues faced by foreign students on campus. After resolving the issue, the nodal officer has to report it to the reg istrar of the university. If the nodal officer and the registrar are not able to sort it out, the issue has to be reported to the vicechancellor.
Earlier, KSHEC did not have data on the number of foreign students in the state, but started collecting the details from universities after the establishment of OCFS in September 2015. According to KSHEC, there are 13,000 foreign students in the state: 7,800 of them are studying in universities and colleges, and the others pursuing short-term courses in private institu tions. KSHEC also plans to make universities to compulsorily have an ombudsman to address the problems faced by foreign students. These ombudsmen will be professors having legal background.
N Ramesh Kumar, advisor to OCFS, told TOI that these measures have been taken to attract more foreign students to the state, because Karnataka already has the highest number of foreign students in the country. There are around 35,000 foreign students in the country, 13,000 of whom are in Karnataka, he said.
HOW MANIPAL ENSURES A COMFORTABLE STAY
Manipal University, which has the highest number of foreign students in the state, provides round-the-clock security to them on the campus. It has 1,923 foreign students, including 71 Tanzanians, and about 60 of them stay in hostels.
It is mandatory for students to stay on the campus in the first year, when they have a teacher as a guardian. The students can take their problems, if any, to their teacher-guardians, who will have to ensure their stay on the campus is comfortable. The university also provides counselling in wellness and health, and encourages students to take part in departmental and extracurricular activities on the campus.Suma Nair, director of students affairs, Manipal University , said, “As the university has had foreign students for decades, the locals are very good and kind towards them. They are sensitive towards each other. The foreign students adjust very well to the surroundings.“