China is on the radar. China has been on the receiving end of worldwide criticism due to COVID-19. Now, international students are getting frustrated with China. They are staying out of the country due to the pandemic for almost a year. Now, they want to come back to the country and resume their studies.
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International students want to resume studies in China
If you see from their angle, they are right. International students have gone back home after the COVID-19 outbreak. They have invested money in foreign courses. They have taken admission and paid more money than domestic students. But all they are getting now is online classes.
Desperate international students have already taken vital steps against the Chinese Universities. They have collected signatures for letters. Plus, they have also sent videos to Chinese Universities. They are continually appealing to the Chinese Universities to let them come back to the country and resume studies. They have appealed to the Chinese consulates and foreign consulates.
International students have almost lost their hope of returning to China this year. 2021 is only a month away. Beijing has again banned all the international students and people from India, Russia, Britain, and France.
China is a mysterious country for many reasons. They do not allow other countries to know what is happening in their country. Moreover, when the entire world is trying to cope with COVID-19, China is claiming that there has not been a single case in the mainland Chinese campus ever since August. It seems strange, but that is what China is claiming. As such, they are not ready to take any risk.
More than 500,000 international students study in China every year. But China is walking on the safe route. They are not ready to deal with overseas infected cases. So they are not allowing international students to enter the country as an anti-COVID measure.
China has the edge over the other countries
China is the first country in the world, which has recovered financially. So, it is natural for international students to study in China when the ban on international borders is lifted. But the country has imposed a new ban on international students. The biggest problem is that international students are stuck midway. They can neither study the course nor can leave the course. That has become an enormous challenge for them.
Several thousands of international students left China in January 2020. Now it is the last week of November 2020. The whole year is almost over. Still, they are not allowed to enter the country. Several Universities have banned students from entering China if they live in foreign countries.
The future of international students is dark
Ph.D. students are frustrated, depressed, and demoralized. They do not know what to do. Their work is lab-based. They cannot do it online. Fieldwork is a part of their study. Now, what will they do? They cannot do their work. Their entire Ph.D. work is getting delayed. Some students even fear that their work will be suspended. Many students will not be able to complete their Ph.D. also. Individual universities permit allowance for around five years only. They are losing time fast.
International students are ready to maintain the quarantine period
When all doors are closed, people try out all options. The condition of international students is also the same. International students have already appealed to the Chinese-English language. They are even claiming that China is like their second motherland. They would never think of infecting Chinese people. They are ready to maintain the mandatory 14 days quarantine period. They are also prepared to follow all the restrictions. They are ready to adjust to everything.
International students are putting forward every kind of logic they can think of. First of all, they are reminding universities that they contribute to the country’s revenue. They make advanced technologies that contribute to the growth and development of the country. Some of them even launch their business after finishing their higher studies. So, somewhere down the line, they contribute to the national economy. The Chinese government should at least consider these facts.
Final year students are worst affected
The final year students are worst affected as they have pending projects, assignments, lab work. If they are not allowed to enter China soon, then they will loss one year. They cannot finish their course. Plus, they cannot apply for internships or jobs soon.
International students are not only losing money but also time. They are paying college tuition fees and rents while staying at home. But what are they getting in return? Reduced scholarships and nothing else.
Conclusion
While international students are not allowed to enter the country, the same rule does not apply to professors and entrepreneurs. They can enter the country, and this kind of partiality is making international students frustrated.
If workers and entrepreneurs can enter China, then why not international students? Their work is almost the same. Pandemic is just a lame excuse.
Many students from China are going to UK Universities for their higher studies. The UK Universities have organized chartered planes for Chinese students. But the Chinese government is not allowing international students to enter the country. It is a kind of discrimination, and international students are emotionally and financially hurt.
Should we blame China alone for this kind of attitude? Many countries are walking on the same route as that of China. Australia is not allowing international students to enter the country. It has allowed only a small number of students to come back. New Zealand has permitted only post-graduate students to go back.
Asia-Pacific countries are opening their doors to international students gradually. Many students have started attending face-to-face classes. Taiwan has also lifted its ban. Even Japan has lifted restrictions on international students. They are working on new education plans to lure international students.
We do not know if China will think about international students and lift its restrictions. But if they do not give any relief to the present international students, they may lose fresh students in the next year.
