Foreign students decry language barrier, procedural hiccups in Bangladesh

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - The language barrier and teachers’ reluctance to use English in classes have been causing problems for foreign students studying at different universities and colleges in Bangladesh.

Nearly 2,100 foreign students are currently studying in Bangladesh, including medical students, according to official records of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Bangladesh's apex authority regulating all affiliated public, private and international universities.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the eve of Feb. 21 International Mother Language Day, many students said almost all foreign students in Bangladesh are particularly affected because the majority of regular classes are conducted in Bangla.

A good number of teachers at different universities and medical colleges are either not fluent enough in English to conduct the classes in the international language or pay more importance to the majority of native students though foreign students are supposed to get class lectures in English as per provisions.

“My first year was very tough as I did not know Bangla and most of the teachers spoke in their native language. I felt very embarrassed and helpless as there was no pre-condition of learning Bangla before getting admission in Bangladesh,” Parmarth KC, who hailed from Nepal and completed his medical degree from Dhaka Medical College, told Anadolu Agency.

Now doing a three-month internship at the same institute, Parmarth added that Bangladesh must ensure English as a medium of language in classrooms to attract international students.

“Now I am fluent in Bangla and have already adjusted with the Bangladeshi community, but my beginning here was one of the toughest courses in my life,” he said.

He, however, praised the overall management at Dhaka Medical College and other facilities at the dormitory he has been living in for the last couple of years.

- Lack of cooperation

Some foreign students also complained of a lack of cooperation from most of the university authorities on issues like getting visas and other documents.

“Universities/colleges do not have good connections with the Foreign Ministry and concerned foreign embassies. Students often don't get visas in time because of late police verifications and other reasons. After taking fees, university authorities do nothing except say that it’s not their duty,” Mirza Aqeel Ur Rehman, a third-year student at the Engineering Islamic University of Technology, from Pakistan told Anadolu Agency.

According to him, universities should have a good relationship with the Foreign Ministry so that students get visas easily after getting admission confirmation. “It should be the responsibility of universities if they want to attract international students.”

“In my three years of experience, I have seen many universities not getting in touch with their newly admitted international students, and also having no relationship with their graduated students,” Rehman said, adding the university authorities should take some measures to help foreign students.

Rehman noted: "Some universities have made education a business. They have quotas for foreign students on scholarships. When students can't get visas because of verifications and clearance issues, they admit local students on those vacant seats and charge more than $20,000 per seat.”

Many foreign students, however, have expressed satisfaction over the comparatively low tuition fee and reasonable living cost.

“Here tuition fee is not so high and environment is almost similar to that of my home country,” Tanzila Nisar, who hails from the Indian-administered Kashmir and studies at Ad-din Sakina Medical College in Bangladesh's southwestern district of Jessore, told Anadolu Agency.

She urged the authorities to make the admission system for foreign students easier and websites to be developed with clear information and direct contact persons so that interested students can contact authorities directly alongside agencies or middlemen in case of any emergency.

Calling the hospitality of Bangladeshi people praiseworthy, Mehreen Gulzar, another medical student at Ad-din Women’s Medical College in capital Dhaka, from Indian Kashmir told Anadolu Agency that residential facilities for foreign students should be improved a little so that more students are attracted.

- Measures to attract more students

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Suraiya Farhana, Deputy Director (International Co-operation & Collaboration) at the University Grants Commission, said that Bangladesh is developing facilities for foreign students.

“Many workshops and other training programs are being conducted for authorities and teachers so that they can deal with foreign students more professionally,” Farhana said.

She said dormitory, research, and other facilities for students are ensured before granting permission to any university. “We also check what type of facilities they have for foreign students.”

Farhana also urged the interested foreign students to directly contact the UGC authorities through the address available on the website in case of any complaints or other needs.

“We are taking many measures, including infrastructural development for capacity building, to attract more foreign students. We hope that the number of international students in Bangladesh will significantly rise after the pandemic restrictions are over,” she added.