Care for international students brings greater commitment

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, many international students around the world have been caught in extraordinarily challenging situations. Within a short period of time, student mobility – considered and promoted as the most desirable element of global higher education experience – has suddenly been deemed problematic and, in some cases, held accountable for spreading the coronavirus.

By the same token, the physical presence of international students – a vital aspect of international education and the internationalisation of higher education – has suddenly become associated with the coronavirus and their presence has, in some cases, been considered unwelcome by both their host and home countries as well as by any transit destinations should their travels to their host countries and-or back home require stopovers.

More recently, the increasing number of recorded COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Vietnam that are related to students returning from overseas has resulted in some negative reactions. In some cases, international students have been stranded in places that do not seem to be welcoming and hospitable.

In the midst of all the above chaos, anxieties, worries and fears, international students have been receiving mixed responses, ranging from love to hate and sympathy and empathy to racism and discrimination as well as from acceptance to rejection.

News outlets such as University World News, The Conversation, The Guardian, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times and The Straits Times have been covering analyses, opinions and discussions regarding the multiple impacts of the pandemic on the future of student mobility.

For example, in their article published in University World News on 28 March, Janet Ilieva and Vincenzo Raimo indicate that more than half of the world’s learners are affected (51%, 890.5 million students) by COVID-19. They also comment that COVID-19 presents the most challenging circumstances for international student mobility globally since the Second World War.

Meanwhile, Simon Marginson, director of the Centre for Global Higher Education at Oxford, is of the view that student mobility may take up to five years to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. He made these comments while speaking at the recent first virtual iteration of the Universities UK International annual conference.

Alongside published commentaries expressing worries about and anticipation of a huge financial loss for the international education sector as a result of the pandemic, there are also voices that question the ethics of internationalisation of higher education, such as Catherine Gomes and Shanton Chang, who are concerned about the well-being of international students.

Putting care at the centre of internationalisation

We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected global higher education and the future of international education and student mobility, with major implications for international student enrolment and for universities’ missions and visions and how they operate.

In this context, we would also like to join the voices that have urged the global academic community to place humanity, ethics, sustainability, responsibility and care at the core of our thinking, planning and practice of education, of which international education is a part. Likewise, we would like to highlight specific cases where these values are put into practice.

Indeed, against the backdrop of the many reported upsetting incidents and inhospitable treatment of international students, there are institutions and communities that have been giving tremendous support and assistance to international students, regardless of their race, ethnicity, nationality, age, caste, religion and creed. One such institution is the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in Brunei, where both of us are based.

Preventive measures taken inside the university are exemplary and, so far, clear communication and updates have been maintained between the university and its international students. Recognising the tremendous disruption caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant effects on every aspect of life, several timely major administrative and academic initiatives have been implemented at UBD to provide the utmost possible safety and care for all students.

UBD international students who are away from their home countries have gone through varying degrees of stress and anxiety. Therefore, speedy support has been provided, for example, the university has been very flexible and responsive in helping international students travelling back to their home countries, has offered consistent care to any international students with medical needs, have provided a generous ‘free meals system’ for international students and has continued to provide high-quality accommodation for them in the Core Residential College during the pandemic.

Some exchange students from the Philippines, Oman, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan left Brunei to go back to their countries in response to the call from their respective governments or home universities. To accommodate their situation, the Brunei Prime Minister’s Office issued a directive to ease their departure.

Those international students who were not willing to leave even after directives from their respective governments or their home universities were generously permitted to stay at the UBD Core Residential College with provision of full administrative and academic support. Medical services are provided to all international students who stay. The Ministry of Health and the university have been taking great care of these students.

Standing together

The Bruneian tradition of helping and supporting others in times of difficulty has inspired many international students who have also volunteered to help in quarantine centres and have stood together with the country in this challenge. All these actions are admirable examples and a source of inspiration for others to follow and act upon.

The Universiti Brunei Darussalam International Students Club is committed to conveying and continuing this sentiment above all odds and across all boundaries. We strongly feel that Brunei Darussalam and UBD have offered an admirable model and conduct of care and humanity in the global landscape of higher education.

In moments like this, nothing is more important than sharing, helping, hospitality and kindness. We, an international student and an international academic at UBD, are deeply touched by this sense of community. Naturally, we want to give back and are committed to giving back.

Muhammad Adil Iqbal is currently a PhD student at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and is also president of Universiti Brunei Darussalam International Students Club. Phan Le Ha is senior professor at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education and head of the International and Comparative Education Research Group at UBD. She is also affiliated with the University of Hawaii at Manoa.