Bhubaneswar, Nov. 30: Officials from the Central Statistics Organisation (CSO), Afghanistan, have offered to hire scholars from Utkal University here for a UNDP-sponsored programme in the war-ravaged country.

President general of CSO Abdul Rahman Ghafoori visited the university today and met vice-chancellor Prashant Sahoo and chairman of the postgraduate council P.K. Mishra.

University officials said Ghafoori was keen to collaborate with the statistics department for assistance in the Capacity Development Plan.

“He interacted with the students and faculty members of our statistics department for nearly two hours and appeared very pleased with their performance,” said Mishra, adding that CSO advisor, Prafulla Chandra Mishra, who happens to be an Odia, facilitated the meeting.

He exuded hope that the university would get Afghan students once a MoU is signed with the Afghan organisation.