Foreign students at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 17: “Bunun fiyati ne kadar,” says archaeology student Nurdon Galkaya to the chai stall owner as she extends a crisp Rs 10 note for a packet of biscuits she just tossed into her backpack. “How much is this?” she quickly corrects herself, drawling the words, as her friend, Neslihan Kete reminds her that they are in Bhubaneswar.

Galkaya and Kete from Turkey are among the scores of foreign youths who have landed in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for higher education opportunities. Be it the affordability factor, the tag of a “peaceful” place, or their emergence as education hubs, the twin cities — which boast of a cosmopolitan culture — have been drawing international students like never before. The share of Turkish and Afghan students is more.

The KIIT University here has a 40-member students’ group from Turkey at its School of Languages undergoing a six-month certificate course in English. Since they do not have the same level of fluency in the global lingua franca, they have been divided into three groups — basic, intermediate and advanced.

Talking about their experience here, Kete takes a while to say that Odia cuisine is spicy while Gizem Gevik and Camile Karman, two other Turkish students, try to explain in broken English that they find Odissi dance exciting and that they would like to wear a sari someday. Galkaya finds Odia girls pretty. “They have beautiful eyes and white teeth,” she says as her friends break into peals of laughter.

Her friend Gokgenur Isleyan tunes into the conversation and clarifies that Turkish students cannot speak well in English because their syllabus up to graduation is in their mother tongue. “From books to computer software, everything is available in our own language. So, the need to learn English is not felt until after we graduate,” she explains.

“It is only when we opt for higher studies that we have to refer to journals and publications in English. It is important if you are travelling to other parts of the world. Sound knowledge of English ensures better jobs,” Isleyan says.

Their teacher, Lipsa Padhi, who served as a translator for this chat with The Telegraph, said the foreign students have been asked to talk amongst themselves in English so that their progress is faster.

“The lesson plans have been designed to help them improve speaking, reading, writing and listening skills. We also have a lot of activity-related lessons in which they are encouraged to speak what they already know. For example, we give them topics such as ‘The most memorable moment of your life’. For such exercises, they just have to jog their memory and speak in English,” she adds.

Besides this group from Turkey, two students from Yemen have applied for PhD courses in English at the university. Students from Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Canada, South Africa, South Korea, Nigeria and Italy have also taken admission into various courses offered by the varsity under the students’ exchange and joint research programmes, authorities said.

The trend of foreign students pursuing their studies in the two cities is not limited to just private institutions. Six students from various countries are pursuing higher studies at the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here.

This group of international students includes three from Afghanistan and one each from Brazil, Nepal and Libya, who have taken admission through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

“We have been getting international students for the past three years,” says R.K. Das, dean of students’ welfare at OUAT, adding that two Afghan students graduated from the university earlier this year.

To make the students feel at home, the authorities have constructed a separate “international” hostel for them. “It has all facilities, including a kitchen, so that students can prepare their own food if they so wish,” says Das.

Teachers, too, are enthusiastic when it comes to teaching students from abroad and have been making special efforts to help them. “We go the extra mile when it involves a foreign student because they are not very good at English. We generally double check if they have understood the lessons well. Teaching them with special attention becomes important as it the question of the reputation of our varsity and our state,” says Bishnu Nanda, a faculty member of OUAT.

Even the Ravenshaw University in Cuttack has been drawing students in hordes from across the border. While 60 Afghan students took admissions last year, this year the number of foreign students has increased by four.

Sources say a scuffle between local students and an Afghan group last year cast a shadow on the admissions this year. “That issue raised questions about the security of foreign students in the city but now it has been resolved. Hopefully, we will be getting a good number of students from foreign countries from next year,” the source adds.

Andriamahefa Rindra Loua Nyania and Tanjona Ravelson are two new guests from the Republic of Madagascar, who have enrolled for postgraduation studies in political science at Ravenshaw. Two others from Afghanistan have been enrolled under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations programme.

“Although we have problems in communication, we are trying our best to understand the local language. Usually, we are able to express ourselves in English and grasp classroom lessons with ease,” one of them says.

These students said that they love biryani, chicken tandoori and fast food available outside the campus. “The city is a bit crowded but we are trying to adjust to the new place,” says one foreign student.

On the other hand, authorities of the capital-based Regional Institute of Education (RIE) say 30 students from Afghanistan were supposed to take admissions last year but were shifted to other centres of RIE. “This year, we are expecting quite a few foreign students,” says one RIE official.

Another private university, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University, which also attracts a handful of students from foreign countries, has not found any foreign students this year till now, authorities say.