The number of students, teacher-student ratio as well as the international student ratio are considered important in the international ranking of any university. In the last year 2017, 34 foreign students were admitted at the undergraduate level in Rajshahi University, but in a gap of only 5 years, in 2022, that number stood at zero quota.

However, according to the information of the academic wing of the university, in 2022, a student from India also applied for admission, but later expressed his unwillingness to take admission.

The reason for the drop in the quota of foreign students in the university is the non-cooperation of the teachers in Bengali, non-cooperation of teaching in Bengali, non-conduct of language skills, non-conduct of courses, absence of international standard curriculum, most of the educational materials including books and notes are in Bengali.

According to university academy branch sources, the arrival of foreign students at undergraduate level started in Rajshahi University with the admission of only two Nepali students in the 2014-15 session. Prior to this, the university administration does not have the admission information of any foreign student. The following year, in the 2015-16 session, that number increased to three. Then in 2017, 10 students from Jordan, Somalia and Nepal were admitted to RU.

Then in 2018, eight students were admitted from Nepal and Jordan. However, no one could survive except for one person. On January 9, 2019, five Nepali students secretly left the country together. Rad Ibrahim Khalil Abushayoun, a Jordanian student, left within a year of being admitted to the University’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering department.

After that, four foreign students were admitted in the session 2019-20, but in the session 2020-21, the admission of foreign students declined. That year only one foreign student named Antara Haldar from Murshidabad district of Malda division of West Bengal, India was admitted. After that, no foreign students were admitted to Rajshahi University, famous as the Cambridge of the East.

Without foreign students, a university can never maintain its universality. Saleh Hasan Naqib said, the concept of the university is international. Even many American universities have more international students than local students. We need more foreign students. If the students of one country or region study, then the university cannot assume its universal character.

However, emphasizing on keeping the quality of students in consideration while admitting foreign students in Bangladeshi universities, he said, almost all the students from our country who go to study abroad are good students of the class. We need foreign students but need to consider the quality of the student during admission.

In this regard, University Vice-Chancellor Professor Md. Sultan-ul-Islam said, the matter is coming to our attention. We are trying to fix this place. Some of the bras that were made for us a few days ago had many mistakes left. If we can make these bras beautifully then they will be sent to the embassies of different countries.

Then they can help us too. It will be possible to fill the lack that we are feeling. It is not entirely the case that foreign students will come to the university by inviting them. If the foreign embassies come forward a little, then this place can be filled. All our departments have to work hard on this issue.

Regarding giving scholarships to foreign students, he said, the education system of our country has not been developed in that way yet. We are not able to provide enough scholarships to the students of our country. Even then we have introduced some scholarships for foreigners.