"I mean, I loved my university library, they have so many books. I really felt like even If I had not carried one single book from India, I would not have had to worry at all because all the books were available in their library. I am really dying to go back to China," says 21-year-old Rachita Kurmi of Shandong University Cheeloo College of Medicine. The university is located in the city of Jinan, in Shandong province.
While she is delighted with China's plans to issue visas to Indian students so that they can go back to their colleges, "this is just step one in the whole process of return."
As per an announcement by Ji Rong, a counsellor in China's Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an X1 visa will be issued to students to pursue long-term study for higher academic education in China, and this includes newly-enrolled students and those who want to return to the country to resume their studies. Such a move is expected to benefit over 23,000 Indian students.
"It's a great news for the students who were stuck in their countries and were being forced to study online. MBBS cannot be done online so it is a relief that we're being called back finally," 24-year-old Fadiya Iqbal, a fifth-year student, currently enrolled in Dalian Medical University, situated in Liaoning Province, told The Quint.
There are, however, lingering fears and issues that are a source of constant tension for the students aspiring to go back to China.
The Elephant in the Room: COVID-19 and Borders
China is infamous for its zero-tolerance approach towards COVID-19, given the viral videos showing people fleeing an IKEA store going into a snap lockdown, or of Chinese people screaming out of windows to protest the lockdown in Shanghai. And let's not forget the dystopian images of metal box-like structures consisting of COVID-19 positive patients.
"Am I worried about the resurgence of COVID-19 and the consequent shutting down of borders by the Chinese government? Let's not even talk about this," says Kurmi.
"It's always a nightmare you see. Maybe it's a dream come true that we will finally be able to return back. But you never know maybe another virus or another pandemic emerges in China and we are never able to return again, and they shut down their international borders. Or maybe after some students return, if the number of cases increase again, they might shut down the border again," she adds while expressing her concerns about the virus and the Chinese government's no-nonsense way of dealing with it.
"And recently, Langya virus cases were increasing. There were around 35 cases in the Shandong and Hanon provinces, which was concerning for me because my university is in the Shandong province. So I was afraid that there might be another lockdown, and we might not be able to return soon. But thank god that didn’t happen."
Iqbal also expressed similar concerns, telling The Quint that she has no option but to take that risk.
"I am a little worried about that but as long as it is my own city, Dalian, it's alright. I have no option but to take that risk, just like so many others, because we want to complete our degrees and come back finally. A lot of final year students have already fallen a year or two behind schedule to graduate."
The Controversy Surrounding the New NMC Guidelines
The National Medical Commission (NMC) issued a circular last week with rules for foreign medical students, which has added to the already prevalent confusion.
"Any online classes for more than two years won't be considered valid and that all online classes should be supplemented with offline practical training. So this offline practical training is not available because the NMC has not facilitated anything to the students. So we need to go back to China for that. Since it has been already more than two years, basically our degrees stand invalid right now in the eyes of NMC," explains Kurmi.
Then there's the issue surrounding the the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), which is basically the screening test for medical students that happens twice a year in June and December.
According to the NMC guidelines, final-year students can sit for the upcoming FMGE in December only if they got their "certificate of completion of course/degree by their respective institute" on or before 30 June 2022. The problem is that many students received the required certificate only on 10 July. The worry is that they will have to wait till June next year to give the FMGE.
Additionally, the new rules for FMGs (Foreign Medical Graduates) make finding internships hard for them. Iqbal explains that "hospitals don't want to take foreign graduates due to these new rules which include – doing internships at only hospitals attached to medical colleges, increasing the duration of the internship for students who studied in China and Ukraine to two years, and the funds issue, given that the NMC has directed the hospitals to give stipend the students, but the state and central governments have not released the funds for the same."
"Hospitals are directed to have only 7% vacancy for FMGs. If a medical college has 100 seats, then only 7 FMGs will be taken for internship," Iqbal adds, citing the lack of internship opportunities for FMGs.
A Message to the Indian and Chinese Governments
The smooth transition that the students are looking for cannot happen without the cooperation of the Indian and Chinese governments. Kurmi emphasised on the need to ensure the availability of direct flights.
"First, the Indian government should help us in providing direct flights so that we are able to first go to China. That's what is necessary right now. We really need the civil aviation services to discuss this and try to bring a solution, because the non-availability of direct flights is going to cause a lot of problems. Since the number of flights available are very less, the expenses are so high."
Iqbal concurred with Kurmi about the price issue. "I am concerned about the expenses the most, since air fare is extremely expensive at the moment. Apart from that, we have to bare the expense of quarantine, visa charges, insurance charges, and COVID-19 tests among others. "I want to request the Indian government to intervene with regards to solving the flight issue. Ticket prices are amounting to Rs 2-3 lakh which is really expensive for us."
With respect to the Chinese government, Kurmi says that speed and efficiency is all that she is hoping for.
"The only thing the Chinese government can ensure is that all the universities are allowed to provide the students with the no objection certificate (NOC) and the other necessary documents required. All the different provincial governments should work together and should make sure the universities are speeding up the return process for the students. The government really needs to make the process faster for international students so we can return as soon as possible and start with our offline studies because any more online classes are just going to hurt our degree."
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