Facilitate return to Chinese varsities, say medical students
MUMBAI: With no response from the Chinese government so far, Indian students enrolled in medical programmes in China have written to the ministry of external affairs as well as to the Indian and Chinese governments to facilitate their return to campuses.
On Thursday, students wrote open letters to both the governments, stating that the looming uncertainty over their return to campus has led to mental strain. They have requested the governments to prioritise the return of the students who need to complete their hospital shifts and clinical rotations in order to graduate by September, at the earliest. “Studying online for prolonged period of time is exacting an immense mental toll on students. An increasing number of students are suffering from anxiety and stress due to uncertainty in the tentative date of return,” read the letter.
The students have demanded clarity on return dates, proposal for possible chartered flights for sending them, facilitation of visa application, recognition of vaccination certificates of immunised students and facilitating inoculation of students in
China.
Students of Chinese universities returned to India last year amid the pandemic as their universities imposed lockdowns. More than a year on, they have not been able to return to the campuses as China continues to impose a travel ban for international students.
Last month, students pursuing their degree in Chinese universities approached the United Nations (UN) hoping for a positive development. In a letter signed by over 20,000 medical, graduate and undergraduate students studying in the universities in China, Japan and Australia have urged UN to intervene in the matter and help lift the border restrictions which has left thousands of students stranded in their home countries for the past one year.
The Indian Embassy in Beijing, China, in a statement on March 22 clarified that the Chinese government’s recent decision related to visa facilitation for foreigners does not apply to students.
“Chinese authorities at various levels continue to maintain their position that on account of last year’s announcement by the ministry of foreign affairs of the People’s Republic of China to suspend temporarily the entry of foreigners holding valid Chinese visa and residence permits following the outbreak Covid-19 in many countries, the visa suspension on foreigners stays until further notice,” read the official statement released by the embassy.
Students are now gearing up to complete their courses online without having any practical experience. A third-year student from Jianghan University in Wuhan, said, “Our teachers are sending us videos of practical classes and assignments. Medical education without practical experience is incomplete.” According to data from Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), in 2018 and 2019, China received around 500,000 international students each, the third highest in the world after the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). Over 23,000 Indians were enrolled in various programmes in China in 2018, shows data.
STUDENTS IN CHINESE VARSITIES RETURNED TO INDIA IN 2020 AMID PANDEMIC AND HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO GO BACK