Australia’s education industry faces a devastating economic impact since last year as most of the international students from different countries have been switching their application to countries with open borders including Canada and Britain.
Presidents, vice-presidents, and international education counselors have reported students in China, Nepal, and India who used to originally target Australia for further education have now started to make other arrangements because they want to study on a real campus rather than online.
Covid-19 has drastically changed the educational landscape for millions of university students around the world and many international students have their own challenges. There are many sudden changes along with the chronic stress of the pandemic, which may be mental health challenged especially if students are already suffering from pre-existing mental health issues.
International students worry about many things such as graduation and visa status as it has been harder to obtain or it has been canceled. Students are confused about whether to home (if that is even an option due to border issues), living far from loved ones, and not having a strong network to support themselves. Many students have lost jobs even in some countries banking service cannot be accessed due to lockdown and many families may not be able to send money as well.
With most universities and colleges starting their teacher method online due to the virus, most of the international students are finding out this mode of learning more challenging. Distance learning is adding additional stress for international students especially for non-native speakers who might struggle more to understand.
The biggest challenges that international student has faced is worrying about their loved ones in other places as they have no hope of being together anytime soon due to the closing of the border. One of the students from Nepal reports, “ His family is split over three countries and that makes him anxious about if they will be able to meet up again”. He also reports that an increase in anxiety, stress, and frustration has disrupted his productivity and daily routine.
