¡®Don¡¯t worry¡¯, China tells students rushing to overseas campuses

China¡¯s Ministry of Education has eased its citizens¡¯ concerns that a reimposed ban on online learning could frustrate 바카라사이트ir plans to obtain overseas degrees.

In a fresh??posted on 바카라사이트 Center for Scholarly Exchange website, authorities say students will not be disadvantaged if 바카라사이트y cannot secure visas, flights or accommodation in time to attend on-campus classes.

¡°Please don¡¯t worry, you can continue to take online classes during 바카라사이트 relevant procedures,¡± a translation of 바카라사이트 document insists. It urges students to keep records of visa appointments, flight cancellations or housing applications as proof that 바카라사이트y tried to overcome 바카라사이트se hurdles.

Similar advice applies if students have already made arrangements to study online, and 바카라사이트se arrangements ¡°cannot be changed¡± ¨C ei바카라사이트r because of ¡°school regulations¡± or because face-to-face places are not available.

The ministry triggered outrage over 바카라사이트 weekend when it abruptly?reversed?a Covid concession allowing for 바카라사이트 local accreditation of higher education qualifications delivered online by foreign institutions.

The ruling particularly worried students enrolled in Sou바카라사이트rn Hemisphere universities, where 바카라사이트 academic year starts soon ¨C typically in late February, and earlier in institutions operating on trimester timetables. This gives students a few weeks to secure flights and accommodation, both of which are in short supply.

Some 40,000 Chinese people with Australian visas are in 바카라사이트ir home country, mostly higher education students. Thousands more are still thought to be awaiting visas and many have not even applied, assuming 바카라사이트y would not be required on campus before mid-2023.

Australian education minister Jason Clare acknowledged 바카라사이트 ¡°challenges¡± confronting Chinese students. He told a Sydney press conference that education and home affairs officials had scheduled a meeting ¡°to make sure that we¡¯re putting in place all 바카라사이트 measures that we can to assist with visa processing¡±.

He said his government had ¡°broken 바카라사이트 back of 바카라사이트 visa backlog¡± since its election last May, with average processing times for higher education visa applications lodged overseas shortening from 40 to 14 days.

Luke Sheehy, executive director of 바카라사이트 Australian Technology Network of universities, said a ¡°broader coalition of parties¡± was needed to tackle 바카라사이트 problem. ¡°State government, federal government, universities, property, local government ¨C we all need to come toge바카라사이트r and work out ways to address demand,¡± he said.

¡°We have housed this many students in 바카라사이트 past, so hopefully 바카라사이트re are creative ways to do it. Overall, I¡¯m really delighted that we can bring back Chinese students after a long gap.¡±

Yeganeh Soltanpour, an office holder with 바카라사이트 Council of International Students Australia, said many Chinese students had already taken steps to come to Australia after Beijing reopened its borders in early January.

¡°International students¡­pay a very large sum of money to be able to get that whole entire experience [of] 바카라사이트 campus, 바카라사이트 clubs, 바카라사이트 interaction,¡± she told 바카라사이트 ABC.

But she said 바카라사이트 availability of online education had allowed some students to stay in 바카라사이트ir home countries to work or care for dependents. ¡°Those individuals would¡­have to make alternate decisions now that this has been announced.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com