Minister takes action to address difficulties affecting Pakistani students in China

Rana Tanveer Hussain, the Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, urged the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and other stakeholders on Tuesday to resolve visa and travel-related challenges that Pakistani students in China are facing as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The minister gave the order during a meeting with a group of Pakistani students who had returned from China in the middle of their studies two years ago after the Covid-19 outbreak and had been stuck in Pakistan ever since.

There were representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the HEC, the Aviation Division, and top ministry officers in attendance.

The meeting was informed by a representative from China's foreign affairs ministry, who stated that in the first phase, China provided Pakistan with a list of 251 students, of whom 60% were contacted.

The minister directed the HEC to employ all available resources to contact students who have yet to be reached, as well as to establish an effective coordination mechanism between stakeholders for the exchange of relevant information.

Given the financial limits faced by students, the minister directed the education ministry to devise a method through which the government will aid students by sharing the associated costs.

He also told Pakistan's education attaché in Beijing to act as a central coordinator and follow up with Chinese officials to settle the students' difficulties.

It's worth noting that the Chinese government's zero-tolerance attitude for Covid-19 has limited air space for regular flights and limited road travel options.