“I can’t trust them”: students upset at the Australian border Coronavirus pandemic News

Sydney, Australia – Thousands of miles from Australia, Disha Zutshi’s heart sank as she heard the news that the country would be delayed. It is scheduled to reopen on December 1 for international students Due to the emergence of the omicron coronavirus variant.

For an 18-year-old student in Gurgaon, India, the stress and anxiety of being in limbo after closing the border for 20 months has made him regret choosing a country to study.

Zutshi, who plans to fly to Australia in late December, is not sure if the government will extend a “temporary suspension” to reopen beyond December 15, after Australia confirmed the seventh case of the new variant on Thursday.

“We don’t know if they will be extended in December,” Zutshi told Al Jazeera. “It’s very demotivating.”

Zutshi, who is studying psychology at the University of Melbourne, said he had many friends who had to cancel flights to Australia this weekend.

“Tickets are very expensive, very expensive,” he said. “The government has no plans [to help the international students], and the airlines have no way of compensating these students. ”

Zutshi is among the 130,000 international students who have been waiting to enter Australia since the country closed its borders in March 2020. While some have delayed their studies, others have settled for online learning. Following Australia’s decision to delay the reopening of the border, many students are once again facing anger, frustration and despair.

Karen Gan, who is studying online from her home town of Nanning in China while waiting to enter Australia, told Al Jazeera that she had lost confidence in Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison “because she’s a big liar.”

“The Australian government made the decision all of a sudden,” said Gan, who is studying for a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Melbourne. “According to the 2020 news, they said you could go to Australia sooner or later, but now, delay and delay. I can’t trust you anymore. I am very confused and surprised by their decision. “

“Maybe staying in China is a better option,” he added.

Australia was the third most popular educational destination in the world before the pandemic. In 2019, the country’s education sector contributed 37.6 billion Australian dollars ($ 26.7 billion) to the economy to boost around 240,000 jobs.

After closing almost two-year limits, the sector’s revenue fell 28 percent from $ 34.6 billion ($ 24.5 billion) to $ 26.7 billion ($ 18.9 billion) in 2020-21, the lowest since 2015-2016. In august the number of foreign registrations — most from China, India, Nepal, and Vietnam — was the lowest since 2015, at more than 550,000..

Many universities have cut job cuts and courses as foreign enrollment has plummeted as revenues have evaporated.

Meanwhile, countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have already welcomed the return of international students.

Chris Ziguras, a global studies professor at RMIT University in Melbourne, told Al Jazeera that although the Australian government’s stance addresses public health concerns, it has not announced clear ways to reopen it, leaving the sector “blind and confused”. ”.

“I don’t think the government is willing to make any commitment because they don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ziguras said. “And then the government wants to leave its options open until the last minute and then decide.”

‘Money Cows’

Students have also been disappointed by the Australian Government’s attitude towards them.

Oscar Ong, national chairman of the Australian International Student Council, told Al Jazeera that international students have been treated as “money cows” because of the income they bring to the Australian university and economy.

“We hope that the Australian government will be able to treat international students as neighbors,” Ong said. “International students don’t just come here to study, they don’t come to work alone; many of them want to come and live.”

University Director General of Australia Catriona Jackson said the universities will continue to work closely with the Australian government to bring international students back to campus.

“It’s important to recognize the tremendous resilience of those who have patiently waited two years to resume their studies on campus,” Jackson said.

Meanwhile, international students like Toolsika Rawoah can expect little to do.

Rawoah, who has been studying online from Mauritius, said he would refrain from booking tickets to Australia and see if more restrictions were on the way.

“It has a negative impact on the expectations of all the students who were excited to get back to Australian life and it has a negative impact on me personally as there are too many uncertainties,” said Rawoah, a Rawoah student studying criminal justice and psychology at Victoria University in Melbourne.

Rawoah said being in limbo for so long has seriously affected his studies and mental health.

“There is no stability with so much uncertainty about maintaining a healthy working life that students will eventually be able to return or have to wait a long time for seats on the planes to be available,” he said.