India’s Unlock 1.0 came into effect on June 8^th and will remain in place till June 30^th. Malls, restaurants, and other businesses are open to public but will have to adhere to government-issued guidelines. Stricter curbs are limited to containment zones only. Meanwhile, recovery rate has improved to 48.2%. States accounting for a majority of case counts are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Gujarat. All major school board and entrance exams are lined up for July 2020 even as government is planning to reopen schools and colleges after 15^th August.

CURRENT STATUS: SOUTHEAST ASIA

As per the updates provided by government regulatory bodies, COVID-19 cases are on a rise but recovery rates are improving in many countries.

The COVID-19 situation is not the same in the subcontinent and in SE Asia region. The details of affected regions as of June 10^th, 2020 are given below:

Bangladesh imposed a zone-wise lockdown on a pilot basis from June 9^th till June 23^rd. The country is divided into three zones. Only the red zones will be under a complete lockdown. Some restrictions will be applicable in yellow zones to help bring down COVID-19 case counts to zero as in green zones. Schools and colleges remain closed. No decision has yet been made on HSC exams.

Nepal extended its lockdown to June 14^th. Decision regarding Secondary Education Examination (SEE) and grade 11 and grade 12 examinations is expected this week.

Vietnam  had ended lockdown on April 22^nd, schools have resumed. High school examinations will be conducted in August. The level of difficulty will be reduced, as the quality of online classes held between February and April were deemed sub-standard. This year, universities are recommended to give more weightage to their own entrance exams to qualify students for enrolment. Natural science and social science subjects will be scored separately and their scores will not be combined as suggested earlier. Local universities said they will still base their enrolment decision on high school exams and that they had full faith in the exam system.

Philippines downgraded its lockdown status on June 1^st from an “enhanced community quarantine” to “general community quarantine” in metropolitan Manila and capital region, while the rest of the country was placed under “modified general community quarantine”. Private schools may open in June for online delivery but in-person classes may not start until a vaccine against COVID-19 becomes available.

Sri Lanka lifted country-wide lockdown and curfew on May 31^st but imposed selective lockdown on large public gatherings after a surge in imported coronavirus cases. Schools will reopen in July. GCE A/L Exams will be held in August as scheduled.

International & Domestic Travel: India

National carrier Air India opened bookings, mainly for evacuation and special purposes, for approximately 300 flights to and from Europe, Canada, Australia, US and UK and Africa. Decision to resume regular international operations will be announced as and when other countries ease restrictions on entry of foreign nationals. Domestic flight operation in India is picking up pace as number of flyers continue to rise.

Latest Updates on Education: India

All pending results, assessments, marking and evaluations for all colleges in India will be cleared by August 15^th, 2020. University entrance and admission procedures have been moved online. 12^th grade students can now send in online applications to institutions and submit the results whenever they are out. Many private universities are developing or have developed online content to provide blended learning experience.

Announcements: International Top Study Destinations

New Zealand: Lifted almost all of its COVID-19 restrictions after reporting no active cases. This will make New Zealand more attractive study destination over other countries. Universities are considering plans to use charter flights to fly in international students and facilitate quarantine measures to streamline their return.

Australia: Universities in regional Australia are also pushing for special flights and other measures for international students. Regional Universities Network (RUN) is advocating to institute this facility for international students who have committed to study at these universities located outside major capital cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

UK: Universities UK published a set of guidelines for universities as they emerge from lockdown, designed for individual universities to adapt to their institutional setting and contexts. The government is considering to fast-tracking the post-study work visa into law and extending it by another six months.

Germany: An interest-free loan of up to €650 per month is now available for international students. The loan can be accessed for up to 14 semesters or up to €54,600. Students are permitted to work 120 full days or 240 half days per year. These student favouring measures will add to Germany’s reputation as study destination.

USA: There have been renewed efforts by the administration to restrict the OPT program because of rising unemployment levels. International students from India and China will be most affected by this development. Members of Congress are asking the government to preserve OPT so that universities can attract the best and brightest international students.

Maple Initiatives

• With Maple Assist continuing to receive immigration-related queries from prospective students and applicants, time was deemed ripe for an online series on Canadian immigration with respect to international student. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that Josh Schachnow, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer and CEO of Visto will be coming live this week with Maple Assist on Instagram in an effort to help answer queries of international students about Study Permits, travel restrictions and effects of Covid-19 on Canadian immigration: Instagram Live at 6.30pm IST/ 9AM ET on 12 June on the Instagram handle @mapleassistcanada

• Maple EDGE: In a changing world where technology provides for cost-effective alternatives to visiting source markets for student recruitment, Maple EDGE offers an year-round regional presence for institutions with a comprehensive digitised package, backend and application support, conversion activities and LMS training. Learn more about WWEC’s new initiative here.

• Academica published an article by CEO Vinay Chaudhry last week on the changing landscape of international student recruitment and the way forward. To read the full discourse, please click here.

• Mailer for the African Continent: With WWEC extending its arm into Africa this summer, this informative mailer (sent out every other week) is our way of keeping you updated on the latest COVID-19 related developments and their impact on education space so as to support you in your recruitment strategies in the African continent.