Indian medical students pursuing courses in Chinese varsities are caught in a cleft stick

Nearly 23,000 Indians studying medicine in Chinese universities find themselves caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. The students returned to India in 2020 as China shut down because of COVID-19. China is not issuing them visas to return, ostentatiously because of its strict pandemic policy but possibly because of its current border standoff with India. China has given these students an alternative, to complete their programme online. The frustrated students are willing to do even that but India’s National Medical Commission has clarified that it does not recognise medical courses done only by online mode. The only option before the students is to request the Chinese for visas and hope to complete their programmes, already delayed for such a long time. They are not alone in this. Thousands of students from the Asean region — that comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — are in the same boat. The Chinese Foreign Ministry keeps repeating the statement that they will consider an arrangement to allow foreign students to return. But the ‘when’ is not known. The students have been receiving videos since last September — the beginning of the fall session when fresh admissions begin — showing their belongings, left behind in hostels, being dumped out to make room for the fresh batch of incoming students. Those students who have opted for online classes face imminent graduation but without any practical training; many have not seen a cadaver.

In the wake of the ban on 200 Chinese apps following the Ladakh standoff, these students are forced to use unreliable VPN software to access apps for online classes. The students have since approached the Overseas Indian Affairs office, the Ministry of External Affairs, and written an open letter to the Prime Minister. On February 13 they, along with their families and supporters, are launching a national Twitter campaign to highlight their plight. The students indeed went to study in China knowing the risks involved. However, they could not have anticipated the outbreak of the pandemic or the fact that China may use them as pawns in its unilateral confrontation with India. How else can China justify its decision to allow the return of students from Mongolia, Singapore and Pakistan to resume classes while keeping silent about Indian students? The Chinese authorities certainly owe the Indian Government and the Indian students an explanation. Some websites have begun inviting applications from Indian students for medical seats in Chinese universities for the 2022 fall session. The advertisements do not refer to any of the problems already faced by thousands of stranded Indian students. That they have allowed universities to still advertise in India means they intend to proceed with online programme. The Government should launch a campaign through the MEA and NNCM to alert aspiring students to the impending danger and uncertainty if they seek admission to Chinese universities.