Foreign Students Denied Admission to British University Science Courses

The move comes over the fears that the students might use the knowledge to orchestrate terrorist attacks

At UK universities, foreign students have been banned from learning about nuclear, biological and chemical warfare over security concerns.

Amidst fear students may use the knowledge to orchestrate terrorist attacks under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme; about 739 international students have been prevented from taking certain university courses.

For vet students from outside the EU when they apply to certain science courses which could be used to make weapons of mass destruction, the scheme was launched by the government in 2007.

But MPs have criticised the limits of the measure which does not extend to British-born students.

The fact that 739 students had to be barred indicated this is ground for serious concern informed Sir John Stanley MP, the chairman of the Committee on Arms Exports Controls.

“It is extraordinary given the threat we face for the Government to go on refusing to extend this to those in the UK.”

They made the recommendation for at least two years but it has been consistently rejected.

20,000 applications were made under the scheme by would-be foreign students last year, as per the Foreign Office.

A new website was launched last month to make the scheme more accessible. .According to House of Lords report, the scheme contributed to UK universities struggle to recruit international students.

The Coalition’s minister for counter proliferation, Tobias Ellwood said that the UK’s higher education sector is important to the British economy and it is important that we get the balance right between meeting our international security commitments and supporting our higher education institutions.

About 3,400 Western citizens have gone to join the ISIS militant group, according to NBC.