Karnataka is India's go-to state for foreign students

Foreign students coming all the way to Karnataka to pursue various higher education courses will soon get a centralised state-level help centre.

Following a recent survey report on higher education that was released by the HRD ministry which revealed Karnataka was the most chosen state by the international students, the state higher education department has decided to set up a centralised help centre for
them.

The dedicated help centre will feature a toll-free helpline managed by trained executives to attend calls and address the issues of the international students.
According to sources in the Higher Education department, the help centre will come up at the Karnataka State Council for Higher Education in Bengaluru.

“Students from various countries have joined colleges and higher education institutes across the state. It will be the responsibility of the department to listen to their grievances and address the issue,” a senior official of the department said.

As per the information from the department, it is mandatory for every foreign student who is enrolled in higher education institutes in Karnataka to report to the help centre. “Once they conform with the admission process and arrive in Karnataka, it is a must for the students to report to the help centre, where they need to submit a set of complete documents. This will help the government keep tabs on students who overstay in Karnataka,” the official said.

The students, according to the department, can complain about any racist attack, ragging or any other issues that they face can be communicated to the help centre.

“The help centre will ensure safety and security of foreign students in the state during their stay,” the official added. A whopping number of 47,427 students have been enrolled across India for higher education. Of these, 10,023 are in Karnataka alone. The most preferred course by foreign students in Karnataka is BTech.

Foreign students come from 164 different countries. The top 10 countries constitute 63.7% of the total foreign students enrolled. Highest share of foreign students come from the neighbouring countries of Nepal (26.88% of the total), followed by Afghanistan (9.8%), Bangladesh (4.38%), Sudan (4.02%), Bhutan (3.82%) and Nigeria (3.4%).