international education
campusreview.com.au
Global impact
The effect of COVID-19 on the
education sector worldwide.
By Wade Zaglas
A
white paper has been released
that provides insights into how
the global education sector has
been impacted since COVID-19 spread
throughout the world.
Produced by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS),
the paper, The Impact of the Coronavirus
on Global Higher Education, contains the
survey responses of more than 11,000
international students since mid-February,
as well as more than 400 higher education
professionals from across the globe.
The ongoing survey is intended to
“inform and support the higher education
sector” while also “taking the pulse of
prospective international students and
higher education institutions throughout
this crisis”.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Between February 14 and March 5, only
27–29 per cent of the students surveyed
said COVID-19 had affected their study
plans. However, this increased significantly
as travel bans and strict border controls
were introduced following the World
Health Organization labelling COVID-19
a pandemic.
Between March 13 and March 19, for
instance, the number of students who said
COVID-19 had affected their study plans
jumped significantly to 50 per cent. It then
jumped to 57 per cent between March 20
and March 26.
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QS also asked prospective international
students how COVID-19 had changed
their plans to study abroad. Some 47 per
cent said they intended to defer their
studies until next year, while 13 per cent
said they would consider studying in
another country.
The survey also asked prospective
students to comment on how their study
plans had been affected by COVID-19, with
the most frequently stated concerns being
travel restrictions, university closures, flight
cancellations, and visa and scholarship
applications.
“I am afraid of going abroad nowadays.
The world is going to face an economic
collapse. So, education could become
costly,” one student said.
“That would be unbearable for my
middle-class family, as well as for me.
Almost every country has stopped taking
foreign students.
“That will create a long line of scholarship
candidates. That scares me, because I don’t
have extraordinary results or merit. All I
have is the mentality of hard work and a
dream to do something.”
Another student spoke about how
the pandemic would affect the type of
education they would receive.
“I am unwilling to pay deposits now for
the study year of 2020–21 because I am
worried that the coronavirus will not be
over and that all classes will be online,”
they said.
“I don’t want to pay thousands to only
get online tuition. I am also unable to book
flights in this uncertainty.”
The uncertainty surrounding travel
restrictions also caused a great degree of
concern and fear among many students.
“The coronavirus is spreading too
fast in nearby countries. My parents are
scared to send me abroad,” a prospective
international student said.
The white paper urges universities
“to work quickly to allay these concerns
and answer some of these pressing
questions, particularly around flexibility with
application deadlines and funding”.
WHAT CAN UNIVERSITIES DO
TO REASSURE STUDENTS?
The paper also asked international students
how they wanted their universities to
respond during the pandemic.
“I think that universities need to keep
communication open with the students and
give them adequate advice and reassurance
during this difficult time,” Umberto, a fifth-
year medical student at the University of
Bologna said.
“I also think they have a duty to share
important scientific information with faculty
and students, who in turn can inform
their families.
“The real solution to this virus is
behavioural change, and schools need to
educate people as much as possible.”
Sveva, another international student
surveyed, highlighted the importance of
clear communication.
“I expect my university to give us more
information on exams and graduation
procedures,” she said.
“However, I also know this whole
situation is new to everyone, and no one
really knows how to properly face it. They’re
doing the best they can.”
The white paper also revealed that 52 per
cent of students wanted universities to offer
a 24-hour helpline for students.