Taking Bangladeshi students back to China

The Covid-19 pandemic had made a large number of Bangladeshi students studying in different Chinese universities return home in 2020. Since then, China has suspended visa services for international students, forcing them to attend online classes instead of in-person academic activities. The students who returned no longer want to take part in online classes since many of them believe that these virtual classes can never replace ongoing campus activities.

Academic activities in China are mainly research and laboratory-centric. There are practical classes, too. These classes are not effective when conducted online. Not only engineering students but also students of different fields such as medical and PhD students are also facing the same problems. The students unable to go to their institutions are frustrated by China's response, with no clear timeline in sight. Those who are studying at their own expense have to pay fees even though they do not get all the academic benefits.

Most students have already met the Chinese government's precondition of getting the Sinopharm vaccine before returning to the country. So, we urge the authorities of both China and Bangladesh to resolve the issue for return of Bangladeshi students to China.

Ashikujaman Syed,

Research Assistant,

Bioinformatics Research Lab,

Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID),

syedashikujaman@yahoo.com