Lingnan International Exchange under COVID-19 Global Outbreak: Fighting the Pandemic with One Heart for 200 Days to Achieve “Zero Infection”
Since the beginning of 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic has spread around the world, putting the global higher education into unprecedented difficulties, while imposing severe challenges to international education and cross-border student exchanges. In view of the international pandemic development, Lingnan (University) College (hereinafter referred to as “Lingnan”) has regarded ensuring students’ health and safety as our first priority. Lingnan has not only attached great importance and paid close attention to students’ personal and health safety for all time, but also shouldered due responsibilities with actions.
According to statistics, 31 Lingnan outbound exchange students in the 2019-2020 spring exchange programme (except Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) had returned home safely by August 17, 2020. Besides, there has been no infected case reported from the spring semester inbound foreign students and outbound exchange students, achieving "zero infection" in the student groups under Lingnan international relations.
Rang the Alarm with Quick Responses
In the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, Sun Yat-sen University and Lingnan (University) College responded promptly, unified strategies and implementation based on the judgment of the situation at that time. Followed the requirements of the higher authorities, Lingnan suspended or reduced outbound and inbound international travels and exchange, as well as foreign affairs reception activities. Furthermore, Lingnan did a solid job in the investigation and statistics of inbound international students and teachers, and outbound exchange students. Lingnan also did a good job in monitoring epidemic prevention and reporting information, by establishing a daily health management reporting mechanism and grasping the health updates of international students and overseas exchange students in real time. At the same time, Lingnan's administrative services switched to online mode to ensure all work run in an orderly and effective way, providing timely personalized responses to the specific contexts of students abroad through communications like WeChat group chats, phone calls, email, etc.
Active Care through Real-time Communication
In order to protect students from virus, Lingnan International Relations Office forwarded and shared the knowledge of hygiene and self-protection as well as the University’s virus prevention policy through email, WeChat group, etc. Therefore, the inbound international students and outbound exchange students could notice the pandemic situation in time, while raised the awareness of prevention and strengthened their self-protection.
Since January 27, 2020, Lingnan has actively contacted the outbound exchange students in the spring semester to learn about their personal willingness and plans to go abroad, as well as the updates of visa application. On the one hand, for students who couldn’t exchange as scheduled, Lingnan communicated positively with foreign colleges and universities to assist students cancel or postpone their outbound programmes and obtain the refund of the prepayment fee. On the other hand, for students who have gone abroad, Lingnan has kept learning their geographical location and physical health at the time via email or regular video conference. In order to ensure overseas students study safe and sound abroad, Lingnan has endeavored to get the updates of those students, provided psychological counseling and assistance to solve difficulties at the very first time.
After learning overseas students encountered the shortage of personal protective equipment and the difficulty of obtaining face masks, Lingnan purchased and sent sufficient face masks to needy exchange students through international express delivery at the fastest speed, regardless of cost, so that these students can focus on learning and live in peace with adequate personal protection.
Cross-Function Coordination for Safeguard
Facing the uncertainties incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and the tense international situation, Lingnan has further improved our emergency response mechanism in order to handle the possible emergencies in time. We have built strong linkage, made cross-functional synergy action plans and contingency plans so as to give timely guidance and support to students.
In addition, Lingnan has managed to guarantee our outbound exchange students’ study based on their learning situation and needs, no matter what epidemic situations they were facing in different regions and protection measures taken by their exchange schools. Whether they chose to stay abroad or suspend the exchange to return home, Lingnan has assisted to ensure the students were able to connect their curriculum and arrange their studies properly.
In the post-pandemic era, Lingnan will further broaden our working perspective by communicating actively with foreign colleges and universities to explore new cooperation models, to expand the channels and ways of international exchanges, and to build a dynamic international learning and exchange environment for students.
