疫情下，中國留學生如何返校？

文/中國日報網

9月19日，369名中國學生從中國乘坐貝爾法斯特女王大學的包機前往英國，之后開始了他們在該大學的自我隔離生活。

一位將女兒從北京送走的母親說，她非常感謝這次包機。她說：“女兒拿到學生簽證時，我們很擔心，因為疫情讓國際旅行變得困難和危險。然后我們聽說貝爾法斯特女王大學會安排包機。我們很高興，票價也很合理。”

英國高等教育統計局的數據顯示，2019年，在英國高校留學的中國學生人數首次超過12萬，占非歐盟學生總數的1/3以上。中國政府的數據顯示，目前在英國留學的中國學生總數已超過22萬。據英國廣播公司報道，包括學費和住宿費等其他消費在內，這些留學生每年為英國經濟的貢獻達到40億英鎊（約合人民幣348億元）。

乘坐包機前往英國復學的中國留學生

報道中還提到，自新冠肺炎疫情暴發以來，英國大學一直擔心，如果中國學生因擔心英國的新冠肺炎高感染率和死亡人數而在秋季新學年退學，會造成重大經濟損失。根據曼徹斯特大學的預測，退學率可能在12%到61%之間，而對去英國旅行是否安全的“焦慮”超過了其他擔憂。

貝爾法斯特女王大學副校長格里爾在歡迎致辭中說：“為了緩解新學年旅行帶來的焦慮和壓力，貝爾法斯特女王大學是英國首批安排包機將學生直接送到貝爾法斯特的大學之一。”包機的單程票價為616英鎊。學生們需在起飛前48小時內進行新冠病毒檢測，并在登機時提供陰性結果。飛機著陸后，直接將他們從機場送往學校，學校將提供隔離住宿。據悉，英國已有20多所高校聯合包機接中國留學生返英。英國早些時候宣布，將給予中國學生與歐盟學生相同的簽證待遇。

據多家媒體報道，有關方面正在討論讓更多英國大學包機從中國、印度和非洲接回留學生，以鼓勵國際學生在本學年返英就讀。

很多海外高校正在為數以千計的中國留學生提供返校包機航班，也有學校表示可以退還學費。

中國教育部表示，對在國內高校完成的部分海外高校學位課程予以承認。允許高校“在確保教育公平的前提下”，接收出國留學生先行在國內高校借讀學習。

澳大利亞國際教育協會首席執行官菲爾·霍尼伍德說，該國面臨著在下學年第一學期失去大量國際學生的“真正危險”。澳大利亞內政部公布的數據顯示，在截至今年6月的一年中，與上年同期相比，來自印度的赴澳留學申請減少了46%，來自尼泊爾的申請減少了60%，來自中國的申請減少了20%。

澳大利亞全國高等教育聯盟估計，為了應對新冠肺炎疫情危機，目前大學已經削減了超過1.1萬個工作崗位，而澳大利亞大學聯盟預測，到明年年初，可能會裁減多達2.1萬個全職職位。

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.