EDUCONNECT AUGUST 2021 WRAP-UP

India’s daily COVID-19 cases remain in the range of 40,000-45,000. The fatality rate is at 1.3%, while the recovery rate is approx. 97.5%. Approx. 10.5% of the Indian population is fully vaccinated as on August 28, 2021.
India extends travel ban on international flights till September 30, 2021.
Indonesia eases lockdown restrictions post drop in COVID-19 cases.
Thailand and Malaysia offer deep discounts on fees or refunds as campuses are forced to remain closed.
Egypt plans to vaccinate most of the high school students ahead of a new academic year.
Russia to permit international students to enter the country to complete their education.

ASIA UPDATES: Nepal And World Bank Sign A $60 Million Agreement To Improve The Quality Of Education In The Country

The Government of India extends the ban on scheduled international flights till September 30, 2021.
More Indian states such as Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu plan to reopen schools for in-person classes.
With the drop in COVID-19 cases and aggressive inoculation drive, Indonesia is easing lockdown restrictions in a few places, including Jakarta.
As Vietnam grapples with a large COVID-19 outbreak driven by the Delta variant, the country urges WHO to provide COVID-19 vaccines.
Nepal and the World Bank sign a $60 mn agreement to strengthen higher education and scale online learning in the country.
The federal government of Malaysia has postponed plans to resume physical classes at schools nationwide to October 3, 2021.
Philippines’ children will miss out on learning opportunities as COVID-19 forces schools to remain closed for more than a year now. Other countries that have had schools remain closed for more than a year are Bangladesh, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia offer steep discounts on fees or refunds to university students as coronavirus cases force campuses to remain closed for a new academic year.

Many schools in South Africa shall not be able to resume full-time classes, as they fail to meet the criteria of minimum physical distance requirement.
The number of Tanzania students taking admissions in US universities has decreased by 31% over the past few years.
Egypt’s Education Ministry announces plans to vaccinate most high school students to prepare for the upcoming school year.
Zimbabwe plans to have only two school terms to maximize the learning time.
Post the unexpected announcement of the results by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), students planning to join the universities will have to hurry to find accommodation, secure funding, and plan inter-institutional transfers.
Many universities in the East African region need to align their academic programmes to the competency-based curriculum requirements.

Catch the latest news, views and announcements concerning education in Africa from our MLEC Africa team here.

Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science states that international students will soon be permitted to enter the country to continue their education.
As Turkey focuses on the resumption of in-person classes next month, it has announced new rules where teachers, staff members and students in higher learning will be asked to regularly undergo PCR tests if not vaccinated.
Hungary faces a rising number of teacher shortages, especially in public education.

Ireland announced the removal of 23 states including India and Bangladesh from its list of designated states. Following this, Indian students arriving in Ireland will no longer be required to quarantine in a hotel.
As per the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis, international students prove to be a significant source of talent hub for employers in the US. Also, a higher number of international students allow US universities to offer quality academic programs in science and engineering.
The UK Government’s new Turing Scheme will allow 40,000 students to study and work abroad.
New Zealand plans to reopen borders to international travelers early next year.