疫情下，中國(guó)留學(xué)生如何返校？

文/中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)

9月19日，369名中國(guó)學(xué)生從中國(guó)乘坐貝爾法斯特女王大學(xué)的包機(jī)前往英國(guó)，之后開(kāi)始了他們?cè)谠摯髮W(xué)的自我隔離生活。

一位將女兒從北京送走的母親說(shuō)，她非常感謝這次包機(jī)。她說(shuō)：“女兒拿到學(xué)生簽證時(shí)，我們很擔(dān)心，因?yàn)橐咔樽寚?guó)際旅行變得困難和危險(xiǎn)。然后我們聽(tīng)說(shuō)貝爾法斯特女王大學(xué)會(huì)安排包機(jī)。我們很高興，票價(jià)也很合理?！?/p>

英國(guó)高等教育統(tǒng)計(jì)局的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2019年，在英國(guó)高校留學(xué)的中國(guó)學(xué)生人數(shù)首次超過(guò)12萬(wàn)，占非歐盟學(xué)生總數(shù)的1/3以上。中國(guó)政府的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，目前在英國(guó)留學(xué)的中國(guó)學(xué)生總數(shù)已超過(guò)22萬(wàn)。據(jù)英國(guó)廣播公司報(bào)道，包括學(xué)費(fèi)和住宿費(fèi)等其他消費(fèi)在內(nèi)，這些留學(xué)生每年為英國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)的貢獻(xiàn)達(dá)到40億英鎊（約合人民幣348億元）。

乘坐包機(jī)前往英國(guó)復(fù)學(xué)的中國(guó)留學(xué)生

報(bào)道中還提到，自新冠肺炎疫情暴發(fā)以來(lái)，英國(guó)大學(xué)一直擔(dān)心，如果中國(guó)學(xué)生因擔(dān)心英國(guó)的新冠肺炎高感染率和死亡人數(shù)而在秋季新學(xué)年退學(xué)，會(huì)造成重大經(jīng)濟(jì)損失。根據(jù)曼徹斯特大學(xué)的預(yù)測(cè)，退學(xué)率可能在12%到61%之間，而對(duì)去英國(guó)旅行是否安全的“焦慮”超過(guò)了其他擔(dān)憂。

貝爾法斯特女王大學(xué)副校長(zhǎng)格里爾在歡迎致辭中說(shuō)：“為了緩解新學(xué)年旅行帶來(lái)的焦慮和壓力，貝爾法斯特女王大學(xué)是英國(guó)首批安排包機(jī)將學(xué)生直接送到貝爾法斯特的大學(xué)之一?！卑鼨C(jī)的單程票價(jià)為616英鎊。學(xué)生們需在起飛前48小時(shí)內(nèi)進(jìn)行新冠病毒檢測(cè)，并在登機(jī)時(shí)提供陰性結(jié)果。飛機(jī)著陸后，直接將他們從機(jī)場(chǎng)送往學(xué)校，學(xué)校將提供隔離住宿。據(jù)悉，英國(guó)已有20多所高校聯(lián)合包機(jī)接中國(guó)留學(xué)生返英。英國(guó)早些時(shí)候宣布，將給予中國(guó)學(xué)生與歐盟學(xué)生相同的簽證待遇。

據(jù)多家媒體報(bào)道，有關(guān)方面正在討論讓更多英國(guó)大學(xué)包機(jī)從中國(guó)、印度和非洲接回留學(xué)生，以鼓勵(lì)國(guó)際學(xué)生在本學(xué)年返英就讀。

很多海外高校正在為數(shù)以千計(jì)的中國(guó)留學(xué)生提供返校包機(jī)航班，也有學(xué)校表示可以退還學(xué)費(fèi)。

中國(guó)教育部表示，對(duì)在國(guó)內(nèi)高校完成的部分海外高校學(xué)位課程予以承認(rèn)。允許高?！霸诖_保教育公平的前提下”，接收出國(guó)留學(xué)生先行在國(guó)內(nèi)高校借讀學(xué)習(xí)。

澳大利亞國(guó)際教育協(xié)會(huì)首席執(zhí)行官菲爾·霍尼伍德說(shuō)，該國(guó)面臨著在下學(xué)年第一學(xué)期失去大量國(guó)際學(xué)生的“真正危險(xiǎn)”。澳大利亞內(nèi)政部公布的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，在截至今年6月的一年中，與上年同期相比，來(lái)自印度的赴澳留學(xué)申請(qǐng)減少了46%，來(lái)自尼泊爾的申請(qǐng)減少了60%，來(lái)自中國(guó)的申請(qǐng)減少了20%。

澳大利亞全國(guó)高等教育聯(lián)盟估計(jì)，為了應(yīng)對(duì)新冠肺炎疫情危機(jī)，目前大學(xué)已經(jīng)削減了超過(guò)1.1萬(wàn)個(gè)工作崗位，而澳大利亞大學(xué)聯(lián)盟預(yù)測(cè)，到明年年初，可能會(huì)裁減多達(dá)2.1萬(wàn)個(gè)全職職位。

Three hundred and sixty nine Chinese students started their self-quarantine life in the campus of Queen’s University Belfast,or QUB, after traveling from China to the United Kingdom by a flight chartered by the university on September 19th.

A mother who sent her daughter off from Beijing said she was“very grateful” for the charter flight. She said: “We were worried when my child got the student visa because the pandemic makes international travel difficult and risky. Then we heard the news that QUB will arrange a charter flight. We were so happy.And the ticket price is fair enough.”

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency of UK, last year the number of students from China studying in UK higher education surpassed 120,000 for the first time, accounting for more than one in every three non-European Union students.The total number of Chinese students studying in the UK is now more than 220,000, Chinese government figures show. These students contribute 4 billion pounds to the UK’s economy per year in tuition fees and other spending such as accommodation,a BBC report said.

The report also said since the pandemic began, UK universities have been worried about major financial losses if Chinese students withdraw from their courses in the new academic year in the fall, amid concern over high COVID-19 infection rates and a high death toll in the UK. According to a forecast by the University of Manchester, cancellations can range from 12 percent to 61 percent, and “anxiety” over whether it is safe to travel to the UK outweighs other concerns.

“To alleviate anxiety and stress about traveling for the new academic year, Queen’s was one of the first universities in the UK to put together a direct charter flight to bring our students directly to Belfast.” vice-chancellor Greer said in his welcome message.A one-way ticket for the QUB charter flight was 616 pounds.Students were required to take COVID-19 tests 48 hours before departure and needed to provide negative results to board the plane. After landing, they were transported directly from the airport to their campus and provided with quarantine accommodation. More than 20 universities in the United Kingdom have joined together to charter flights for Chinese students to Britain.

Discussions are believed to be ongoing for more British universities to charter flights from China, India and Africa to encourage international students to return in this academic year,several media outlets have reported.

Many universities overseas are chartering flights for thousands of Chinese international students to return to their studies,other are offcring studerts refund.

China’s Ministry of Education has also begun plans to recognise degrees partially completed at overseas universities in its own institutions.

Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China allows universities to accept students studying abroad to study in domestic universities “on the premise of ensuring education equity”.

Phil Honeywood, chief executive of International Education Association of Australia, said there was a “real danger” Australia would lose substantial numbers of international students for semester one next year. In the year to June, applications to study in Australia declined by 46 percent from India, 60 percent from Nepal and 20 percent from China compared to the previous year, data published by the Department of Home Affairs shows.

The National Tertiary Education Union of Australia estimates more than 11,000 jobs have been cut to date by universities in response to the COVID-19 crisis, while Universities Australia has forecast as many as 21,000 full-time positions could go by early next year.