多國高校推出返校包機 爭搶中國留學生

考慮到留學生秋季入學面臨出行、轉機等一系列困難，英國已有20多所高校聯合包機接中國留學生返英。貝爾法斯特女王大學在英國高校中率先推出針對中國學生的包機服務。而由於國際學生流失，澳大利亞的多所大學正經歷裁員潮。

英國大學包機接中國留學生返校

Three hundred and sixty nine Chinese students started their self-quarantine life in the campus of Queen's University Belfast, or QUB, after traveling from China to the United Kingdom by a flight chartered by the university on Saturday.

上週六（9月19日），三百六十九名中國學生從中國乘坐貝爾法斯特女王大學的包機前往英國，之後開始了他們在該大學的自我隔離生活。

A mother who sent her daughter off from Beijing said she was "very grateful" for the charter flight.

一位將女兒從北京送走的母親說，她“非常感謝”這次包機。

She said: "We were worried when my child got the student visa because the pandemic makes international travel difficult and risky. Then we heard the news that QUB will arrange a charter flight. We were so happy. And the ticket price is fair enough."

她說：“女兒拿到學生簽證時，我們很擔心，因爲疫情讓國際旅行變得困難和危險。然後我們聽說貝爾法斯特女王大學會安排包機。我們很高興，票價也很合理。

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, last year the number of students from China studying in UK higher education surpassed 120,000 for the first time, accounting for more than one in every three non-European Union students. The total number of Chinese students studying in the UK is now more than 220,000, Chinese government figures show.

英國高等教育統計局的數據顯示，去年，在英國高校留學的中國學生人數首次超過12萬，佔非歐盟學生總數的三分之一以上。中國政府的數據顯示，目前在英國留學的中國學生總數已超過22萬。

These students contribute 4 billion pounds to the UK's economy per year in tuition fees and other spending such as accommodation, a BBC report said.

據英國廣播公司報道，包括學費和住宿費等其他消費在內，這些留學生每年爲英國經濟的貢獻達到40億英鎊（約合人民幣348億元）。

The report also said since the pandemic began, UK universities have been worried about major financial losses if Chinese students withdraw from their courses in the new academic year in the fall, amid concern over high COVID-19 infection rates and a high death toll in the UK.

報道中還提到，自疫情暴發以來，英國大學一直擔心，如果中國學生因擔心英國的新冠肺炎高感染率和死亡人數而在秋季新學年退學，會造成重大經濟損失。

According to a forecast by the University of Manchester, cancellations can range from 12 percent to 61 percent, and "anxiety" over whether it is safe to travel to the UK outweighs other concerns.

根據曼徹斯特大學的預測，退學率可能在12%到61%之間，而對去英國旅行是否安全的“焦慮”超過了其他擔憂。

"To alleviate anxiety and stress about traveling for the new academic year, Queen's was one of the first universities in the UK to put together a direct charter flight to bring our students directly to Belfast," vice-chancellor Greer said in his welcome message.

貝爾法斯特女王大學副校長格里爾在歡迎致辭中說：“爲了緩解新學年旅行帶來的焦慮和壓力，貝爾法斯特女王大學是英國首批安排包機將學生直接送到貝爾法斯特的大學之一。”

A one-way ticket for the QUB charter flight was 616 pounds.

包機的單程票價爲616英鎊。

Students were required to take COVID-19 tests 48 hours before departure and needed to provide negative results to board the plane. After landing, they were transported directly from the airport to their campus and provided with quarantine accommodation.

學生們需在起飛前48小時內進行新冠病毒檢測，並在登機時提供陰性結果。飛機着陸後，直接將他們從機場送往學校，學校將提供隔離住宿。

More than 20 universities in the United Kingdom have joined together to charter flights for Chinese students to Britain. The UK had earlier declared it would treat Chinese students the same as those from the European Union for visa purposes. The flights through Hainan Airlines will ferry students from Chongqing to Manchester in time for the start of semester at the end of September.

英國已有20多所高校聯合包機接中國留學生返英。英國早些時候宣佈，將給予中國學生與歐盟學生相同的簽證待遇。海南航空公司的航班將把中國留學生從重慶送往曼徹斯特，以趕上9月底開始的新學期。

Discussions are believed to be ongoing for more British universities to charter flights from China, India and Africa to encourage international students to return in this academic year, several media outlets have reported.

據多家媒體報道，有關方面正在討論讓更多英國大學包機從中國、印度和非洲接回留學生，以鼓勵國際學生在本學年返英就讀。

Canada's Sheridan College is offering students a refund if they are unhappy with their online tuition during the coronavirus pandemic in a bid to keep them on the books.

加拿大謝里登學院宣佈，如果學生對新冠疫情期間的在線課程學費不滿，將提供退款，以期留住學生。

澳大利亞大學擔憂留學生流失 多所高校裁員

Universities overseas are chartering flights for thousands of Chinese international students to return to their studies, leaving Australia racing to keep up with its top competitors, Britain, the US and Canada, in its third biggest export industry.

多國高校正在爲數以千計的中國留學生提供返校包機航班，促使澳大利亞加緊在該國第三大出口產業中努力跟上其主要競爭對手英國、美國和加拿大的步伐。

As Australian universities endured a horror-week of staff layoffs as border closures continued to cripple their budgets, China's Ministry of Education has also begun plans to recognise degrees partially completed at overseas universities in its own institutions, eliminating the need for some international students to return to Australia.

由於邊境關閉導致高校預算繼續嚴重縮水，澳大利亞的大學經歷了一週可怕的裁員潮。中國教育部表示，對在國內高校完成的部分海外高校學位課程予以承認，因此一些留學生也不必再返回澳大利亞。

The Ministry on Thursday told Chinese state media it would allow universities to accept students studying abroad to study in domestic universities "on the premise of ensuring education equity".

中國教育部上週四（9月17日）對中國官方媒體表示，允許高校“在確保教育公平的前提下”，接收出國留學生先行在國內高校借讀學習。

Phil Honeywood, chief executive of International Education Association of Australia, said there was a "real danger" Australia would lose substantial numbers of international students for semester one next year.

澳大利亞國際教育協會首席執行官菲爾·霍尼伍德說，該國面臨着在下學年第一學期失去大量國際學生的“真正危險”。

In the year to June, applications to study in Australia declined by 46 percent from India, 60 percent from Nepal and 20 percent from China compared to the previous year, data published by the Department of Home Affairs shows.

澳大利亞內政部公佈的數據顯示，在截至今年6月的一年中，與去年同期相比，來自印度的赴澳留學申請減少了46%，來自尼泊爾的申請減少了60%，來自中國的申請減少了20%。

The Australian National University in Canberra announced last week that 215 jobs would be cut, in addition to 250 voluntary redundancies. The University of NSW also confirmed it would move to axe 256 full-time positions, or 3.8 percent of the university's workforce, in a bid to find $39 million in savings.

位於堪培拉的澳大利亞國立大學上週宣佈，除了自願裁員250人之外，還將裁減215個工作崗位。新南威爾士大學證實，該校將裁減256個全職職位，佔學校員工總數的3.8%，以節省3900萬美元（約合人民幣2.6億元）經費。

RMIT University confirmed on Thursday it had accepted 355 voluntary redundancies, but said it could be forced to shed 250 more jobs before the year is out.

皇家墨爾本理工大學上週四證實，已接受355份自願裁員申請，但表示年底前可能被迫再裁員250人。

Meanwhile, the University of Sydney announced plans for voluntary redundancies as it forecast a $550 million hit to overall student revenue over the next four years.

與此同時，悉尼大學宣佈了自願裁員的計劃，預計未來四年學費總收入將減少5.5億美元。

The National Tertiary Education Union estimates more than 11,000 jobs have been cut to date by universities in response to the COVID-19 crisis, while Universities Australia has forecast as many as 21,000 full-time positions could go by early next year.

澳大利亞全國高等教育聯盟估計，爲了應對新冠肺炎危機，目前大學已經削減了超過1.1萬個工作崗位，而澳大利亞大學聯盟預測，到明年年初，可能會裁減多達2.1萬個全職職位。