In December 2020, China reassured international students of their paramount importance for the country and that they would not be deprived of their rights. But things got worse at the end of January 2021, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took a different stand. International media report that China is looking to tighten existing health restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading further. A comprehensive study on the return of international students was announced.
International students turned hopeless
International students in China are facing a lot of challenges, although the 200 universities made arrangements to ensure distance learning. Unhappy students wonder why they were made to pay full tuition fees as they are being compelled to study online. That said, they highlight the poor quality of online courses. Besides, international students living in different parts of the world are struggling with the time slot, as Sarah, a student from Tajikistan confirms. “Studying online is quite challenging for many reasons, such as internet problems, time difference, information inefficiency in lectures, and communication problems with the university's teachers and administration. ”
Sarah is currently stranded in Bali where she had gone on vacation in January 2020. “I've been studying in China for almost six years, two years of language courses and four years of bachelor studies. Now I'm doing my master's degree's first year online. This situation was stressful for the whole world, but it seems like almost everyone is already back to their studies and work by now except for international students of China."
Déborah, a French second-year medical student, shares the same views. She arrived in China in September 2019 and stayed there until the Spring Festival in 2020 before returning to France. "I feel like we've been put aside by the Chinese government. I mean, they have a lot of measures in place to let us come back, and international students agree for quarantine or whatever can be done in order to secure the Chinese citizens. There is a vaccine too nowadays, and the situation is very well handled in China. So I don't clearly understand why they have decided to let no more than 500 000 students return." Deborah doesn't want to spend another semester online and wishes to go back to China as soon as possible. "I don't have the strength to go on like this."
For Musonda, a Zambian student, the Chinese government and the universities could simply work hand in hand to help international students return by ensuring that health regulations are being applied. This four-year medical student is stranded in her home country since January 2020. "I acknowledge the fact that China is trying to keep a sterile environment for its people. But, hundreds of international students are stuck in their countries for over a year now. It's unpredictable when this pandemic will end. We seriously can not keep waiting. Online classes are not effective at all. My school, for one, doesn't even offer actual online classes. And being a medical student, I'm even more disadvantaged."
The cry of despair of an Indian student
Kaminee is a third-year Indian student who was also compelled to return to her country in January 2020. But she's having a hard time to accept the decision of the Chinese government, even more than others. "I'm a third-year medical student, and it's not like we can study another course if our college is off. Our only option currently is to study on our own. Second and third-year courses are being held online, but how can be anyone become a doctor without a practice?" Many questions are haunting Kaminee's mind. "Will this two-year online medical degree be valid? What about my future after this pandemic? What about my parents who have already spent a lot of money on my courses?" She adds that she's quite embarrassed when relatives come and ask why she is still in India when most students have already resumed face-to-face courses at college. "Every morning, I have a look at social media in the hope of good news. But I end up getting into my routine with a book in front of me and wondering about the future. Are we really going back to school? Is it worth it? When will our teachers message us?"
Wait for better days or plan B?
Ahmad, an international student from Afghanistan, missed internship opportunities due to the pandemic. He has been studying in China for four years, including one year of studying the Chinese language. "Nowadays, I'm trying to consume the situation. Apart from that, it's hard to get knowledge properly with online courses, so I'm trying to study part-time to able revise my all studies. There are online exams going on currently, and teachers are giving us some projects that's we have to complete without proper explanation." While he is aware that there are many students who are thinking to transfer their studies from China to any other country, he believes that it's complicated hard for third-year and fourth-year students.
But for Aayush, from India, the reopening of borders in September will be a decisive factor. "If they still ignore us and continue to play with our futures, I'll definitely take a transfer to a different university in Georgia or maybe the Philippines, where they actually care about the future of international students." Aayush arrived in China in October 2019 but had to return to Rajasthan in February 2020. “In the beginning, I think it was very justified and understandable because the number of cases in every country was rising exponentially, and they all closed their borders. But now over time and in the light of the vaccination process, I think it's very unfair of China to keep up with this harsh ban. Most countries have reopened their borders for students so that there's no hindrance in the quality of their studies, but it seems like Chinese officials don't care about our future. We all feel so stranded and left out."
Thanks to the initiative of the newly created China International Students Union, more than 13,000 international students have signed a petition that will be sent to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. International students seek clarity on the date when they will be allowed to return to China.
