After a press release issued by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Beijing on Thursday announced that China will allow the return of students from Sri Lanka, Indian students who have not been given the same privilege are venting their frustration on social media.
China’s Zero Covid Policy, which barred students from foreign countries from continuing in-person learning in the country, has been reportedly eased for students from Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc.
Indian students, who have not been able to step foot inside China since the Covid pandemic, are continuing their pleas on social media to make their return to the East Asian country possible.
“MBBS is incomplete without practicals. Please facilitate our return asap so that we don't have to face any more loss of our studies. ChinaFmg @PMOIndia #SaveIndianStudentsOfChina #takeUsBackToChina,” (sic) Mominur Rahaman, a student from Southwest Medical University in Sichuan, said in a tweet.
Twitter pages such as ‘Indian students in China’, which have arranged numerous social media campaigns to bring attention to their concerns, tweeted about using more hashtags and keywords to garner more attention to their cause. “It's time!
Let's not stop today and keep tweeting. We are in this together. One more time, not for anyone else but ourselves. At the end of the day, it's you who stays with you and no one else. Keep tweeting and use the hashtag #SaveIndianStudentsOfChina #TakeUsBackToChina,” (sic) said the tweet on the page.
Free Press Journal talked to some students who are able to attend online classes but only on certain platforms recommended by the Chinese universities. “Applications such as DingTalk, a communication platform by Jack Ma's Alibaba Group, are being used by us for attending online classes,” said a student named Akshra Singh who expects at least a “promising note on students’ return to China,” so that they will get an idea if they will ever be able to go back to the country.
Not all students have been able to adapt to the digital style of learning, as students at Ningbo University have been left with no options because a majority of them choose to suspend their classes until in-person learning is permitted. "Medical councils in states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala have specific rules on students attending more than three semesters online which is why many of them opposed the decision to continue with online classes and authorities at Ningbo suspended our lectures," said Bhumika Sharma, a student from Ningbo, who completed her third year of MBBS and is preparing herself for future NEET-PG and National Exit Test (NEXT) exams.
Some like Satvik Somya, a student from Harbin Medical University, expressed optimism at China’s decision to allow students from certain countries as he believes it won’t be long till Indians would also be allowed back to the country. “It's a good initiative to say the least that China is starting to allow students. With this announcement my hopes have increased that hopefully we can return too,” Satvik told FPJ.
