Yu Tao (UWA) considers the condition of Chinese students of Australian universities last year, the ones here, the ones at home 

Overall their experiences were not great. For students in China, “learning purely on-line was a novel experience … many felt the loss of community keenly and complained that the quality of teaching and learning was not the same.” It was certainly not considered value for money.

“Nor could on-line teaching provide students the kind of cultural competencies that come from ordinary experiences like visiting weekend markets or making friends with Australian students.”

And they did not know what would happen. “Without knowing when it would be possible to return to Australia, they found it challenging to make meaningful plans for their study or life more generally.”

Those in Australia were caught by the loss of causal work, the absence of government support and and the impact of racism in the community, compounded by not being able to get flights home if they wanted to bail. Some also felt forced to pick a side in disputes between the governments of the PRC and Australia.

So, what can be done? To attract and retain students from China post COVID-19 Australia needs to: integrate them into virtual communities, help with cross-border travel and “embrace” inclusivity and multiculturalism.

Dr Yu writes in Jane Golley, Linda Jaivin (with) Sharon Strange (eds) China Story Yearbook: Crisis (ANU Press, here).