On the occasion of International Labour Day, the Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT) organised a virtual panel discussion on “COVID-19: Issues and Challenges of Migrant and Diaspora Communities” on 1st May 2020.
Dr. Monika Bisht from the Institute of Research and Development in School Education, India was the speaker, and she spoke extensively on matters related to hardships endured by the student community globally. Dr. Monika has been working on student migration, and in the webinar, she discussed how COVID-19 had left an impact on the education system.
Dr. Monika stated that when the government announced the sudden lockdown, many international students had to vacate their hostels and return to their home countries. She also pointed out that many Indian students who got stuck in several countries across the world were repatriated by the government; these unprecedented developments caused severe stress, anxiety and depression amongst the students. Furthermore, several public entrance exams worldwide were cancelled or postponed.
She further discussed that due to COVID-19, student visas turned out to be a matter of critical concern for various reasons. The U.S president Donald J Trump announced a temporary ban on the H1B visa. Similarly, several countries froze the visa renewal process, causing great difficulties to the expats. In light of the current global circumstances, as the current admission guidelines are still unclear, the international students will face difficulties finding admissions for the coming year. She also pointed out the problems faced by those who studied in the USA and other countries, where they did not feel safe and felt like outsiders.
Moreover, the ongoing global pandemic has impacted Indian students’ mobility, thanks to the suspension of domestic and international air travel and restrictive visa policies; in some cases, the students are not even aware of the result of the examinations they appeared for. However, as the world is adjusting to the presence of COVID-19, and the current efforts made towards easing of travel policies, we expect the student situation to improve.
Reported: Deepika M.A in sociology from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Presently living in Kolkata. Has an interest in journalism and writing. Twitter ID@Deepika56370612