Hyderabad: Osmania University officials held a meeting with the Afghan students residing in Hyderabad. The prime agenda of the discussion was the extension of their visas and the continuation of the scholarships provided to them.
In this regard, a virtual online meeting was held on Saturday chaired by Osmania University Vice-Chancellor Prof D.Ravindra along with OSD to Vice-Chancellor Prof B Reddy Naik, University Foreign Relations Office Director Prof.V Appa Rao, and around 80 Afghan students studying in the University.
The University has a total of 158 Afghan students studying in various courses in Undergraduate, Post Graduate and Ph.D. courses. Out of them, 136 are men and 22 are women. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations has provided scholarships to 120 students.
The students said that they were worried regarding the finances as the developments in their country might result in the job losses of their parents. The students who were married have enquired whether they can bring their families here. The students who self-finance their studies wanted to know if they can also be provided scholarships.
Prof. Appa Rao said that they have taken note of the grievances of the Afghan students. The University will extend all possible help in accordance with the government rules, he said.