The Ministry of Education has lifted the entry ban on overseas students from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, So far, a total of 4,553 foreign students from 18 countries are allowed to enter Taiwan to resume their studies. However, schools say the move doesn't have much of a practical implication as Chinese students are still unable to return.
Students surnamed Lee and Chen are from Malaysia and studied at the National Taiwan Normal University. They were able to find a part-time job on campus after returning in February. Wiping copy machines and document processing are part of their daily chores.
COVID-19 broke out at the time when I planned to return to Taiwan, so I decided to stick with the original plan.
The NTNU said most of its oversea students with valid Alien Resident Certificate entered Taiwan in the beginning of the year, except for those from than China, Hong Kong and Macau, who were on the restriction list. The government has announced its latest decision to lift the ban on overseas students from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Among them, a total of 197 students who will graduate this year and 535 old students have not entered Taiwan to resume their studies. So far, a total of 4,553 foreign students from 18 countries have been permitted to enter Taiwan, with those from Hong Kong and Macau making up the majority, 1,847 and 1,224 people respectively.
There are 95 foreign students at the NTNU who are eligible to enter the country. Because the number of students has increased this time, therefore the school has planned to let the students to come into the country from Hong Kong and Macau in three consecutive days so that we can have buses to pick them up at the Taoyuan International Airport and send them to the epidemic prevention hotels.
In response to the Ministry of Education's decision, Shih Chien University President Chen Chen-kuei said the measure does not have much of a practical implication because most of the foreign students from those five countries are now in Taiwan. Even though the Ministry has lifted the restrictions in three phases so far, over 80 percent of the 25,000 foreign students who were barred from returning at the onset of the pandemic outbreak still can't return. The number of students from China alone amounts to 7,500.
It is meaningless. The Ministry should have included Chinese new graduates in the list of entry at this time. But it has failed to do so; therefore it's just a smoke screen.
Other than urging the lifting of entry ban on Chinese students, Chen also said that new students from the 18 countries should be allowed to enter as soon as possible. The NTNU also pointed out that there are 600 new foreign students who have registered for prerequisite classes and he advises granting them entry by the beginning of August so that the students can finish their quarantine and testing in 3 batches, so they can be just in time for the new semester.
用酒精擦拭影印機、協助文書處理，台師大馬來西亞僑生李同學和陳同學二月返台後，就在校內工讀。
台師大馬來西亞僑生 李同學表示：「因為疫情那時候，剛好爆發了，所以就想說那我，就按照原訂計畫(回台)。」
台師大表示，除了中港澳，其他國家的境外生未在年初限制之列，早已持居留證入台，而教育部統計，最新開放的日韓星馬、斯里蘭卡等五個中低感染風險國家，有197位應屆畢業生及535位舊生未入境，加上先前開放港澳等13國的舊生，共有4,553人，仍舊以港澳的1847和1,224人最多。
台師大國際長 劉翔麟表示：「（師大這次)符合資格，一共有95位，由於人數比較多了，所以我們目前規劃，香港跟澳門同學，集中三天入境，我們就可以派大巴士去桃園機場，接送他們到入住到防疫旅館。」
對教育部新增五國，在學舊生也解禁，實踐大學校長陳振貴認為意義不大，因為這五國境外生多半在台，而且開放三波，最初未入境的2.5萬名境外生，仍有逾八成無法入境，陸生就占了7,500人最多。
實踐大學校長 陳振貴表示：「意義不大，第二批(這一批)，事實上，他應該要納入陸生的應屆畢業生，而並沒有納入嘛，所以這次等於煙霧彈。」
除了呼籲陸生解禁，陳振貴說，18國新生得快點開放入境，台師大也指出，僑生先修班有600位新生，最好八月初就能進來，才趕得及分三批完成檢疫，迎接新學年。