Without practice and with the threat of expulsion: foreign students cannot get to Russia

Only after three months of the school year did the authorities pay attention to the problem. More details - in the material of Novye Izvestia.

Daria Voznesenskaya

Last week, the media reported on the expulsion of foreign students due to the fact that they are absent from full-time classes. In this case, we are talking about those citizens who cannot return to Russia because of the borders closed against the background of the pandemic. About two thousand students turned to the head of the headquarters for countering coronavirus, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova for assistance in returning them to Russia. They are ready to pass tests for coronavirus at their own expense and stay in quarantine for the prescribed period. But so far, studying at Russian universities is not a basis for crossing the border.

Students complain about the poor quality of distance education, which costs the same money. Communication in online classes is often poor, and sometimes teachers generally refuse to give lectures for one student per group. According to students, the effectiveness of distance education is about 30% of full-time education.

At the same time, some universities do not want to meet foreign students halfway: I did not come to full-time classes - take an academic vacation, transfer to the university of your country or you will be expelled.

But even if we do not take into account the deduction, then foreign students are elementary in the conditions of distance learning are uncompetitive: they cannot gain the additional points necessary to transfer to the budget or receive a discount and a grant. In addition, many students have to pay for rented apartments or dorm rooms to store their belongings.

December 1 - after the hype in the media - the situation has slightly moved off the ground. During the inter-ministerial meeting, the senators asked the government to make training in Russia the basis for entering the country. But how long to wait is unknown. According to the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Education, Science and Culture Lilia Gumerova, 315 thousand foreign students study in Russia, of which 100 thousand are currently at home. She also noted that there is no massive dropout of foreign students due to distance learning. “The numbers we have are comparable to last year. And all the deductions are related to the student's own desire either to transfer to another Russian university, or to stop studying for one reason or another", - she said.

Foreign students share the problems associated with studying at Russian universities in a Telegram community called "The Collective Appeal of Foreign Students":

“Today I received an answer from the Ministry of Education and Science that the university can forcibly expel us if we do not take an academic”, - writes Tatiana Pascal.

“Hello everyone, Sibadi, Omsk, the university has rolled out a draft order for expulsion, the wording “loss of connection with the university"”, - added user Ara.

“This is how they told me: “The university organized the educational process on the platform. All that concerns your personal problems, unfortunately, we will not be able to solve"", - shared his story user khisrav sharipov.

“Good evening, I am Mohamed Odai Sediri, a 5th year student of the medical faculty in Russia, in Tambov. I recently received a certificate of maturity at the university because of a subject that I did not get an opportunity like my colleagues in Russia, because I am not there due to the border closure due to the corona virus, I will send you a photo of the deductions”, - writes mohamef oday sediri.

“My son is studying in a college in Russia, he is in Kazakhstan himself, they wanted to expel him for absenteeism, but they also offered to transfer to the same college in Astana, when I threatened them that I would call the Ministry of Education, then they immediately got scared!”, - Yelena said.

“I’m reading the news where the universities came out with a refutation about the expulsion of foreigners. Everyone seemed to have done it by order from above. And at the same time, universities spoke, which were able to go to the distance completely only because the directions in which the training is carried out allow it to be done, ”noted Nik Murray.

“In addition, if you decide to transfer to your university, you lose a budget place in Russia and you can study at your country's university only on a paid department, as the budget competition was held in the summer”, - he added.

“I am annoyed by the glaring injustice that Russian students can study in foreign universities without problems, but we cannot. Where is the justice?”, - Oksana emphasized.

“I had and still have a problem with entry since August, I am from Uzbekistan, Tashkent. In my situation, the subject of a variety orchestra and a variety choir suffered, such objects cannot be online in any way”, - added Anton.

And while the Russian government is trying to find a way out of the situation, foreign students have already lost almost a semester of study. What is the knowledge they received on remote control - one can only guess. Medical students are most intimidated by these learning environments. After all, full-time practice is extremely important for this specialty.

“I have not done a single laboratory work on biochemistry and physiology this semester, I study these subjects on my own. Anatomy and histology are also held in the format of theoretical training, but in these subjects in January will be an exam, which includes practice", - student of Kazan State Medical University Anastasia from Kazakhstan told Inkazan.

At the same time, she notes that all her classmates go to face-to-face classes, with the exception of lectures and a few theoretical subjects. A full distance was organized for a foreign student. In connection with such conditions of study, the girl had debts - she has no idea how to close them and take the exam.

“ To pass exams for an additional session (if I still arrive by this time) means to receive academic debt now, and with it I cannot participate in the competition to switch to the budget or at least to receive a discount on tuition. The university recommends taking an academic leave, because “a doctor cannot study remotely", - says Anastasia.

A student of the Kazan Volga Federal University Bekzod Tukhtaboev from Uzbekistan (specialty - general medicine) also notes that it is quite difficult to master narrow-profile clinical subjects remotely. “There were situations when it was not possible to conduct distance classes, for example, in a pair of surgery. It was held in the operating unit, but you cannot shoot there, but it is physically impossible to be present”, - he said.

At the same time, the university asks foreign students to negotiate with the clinics themselves about the internship. Therefore, Tukhtaboev is forced to receive medical experience in the hospital of his hometown, while his classmates do it at the university clinic on an individual schedule.

“They are discussing the topic, I am present at this moment remotely - I listen to what they are saying. Then they go to the anatomical museum, where they look at everything on the preparations, and I just get photographs”, - says Zafar Turayev, another Tashkent student of Kazan Federal University, who studies general medicine.

Ivan Melnikov, Vice-President of the Russian division of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights, commented on the current situation to Novye Izvestia. Representatives of the initiative group of foreign students turned to him for help.

“Due to distance learning, students faced difficulties in handing over laboratory work. Imagine, for example, a medical student who has only to study remotely. No practice. How can a surgeon without a practical part learn to operate? It's almost impossible.

In this regard, some students have already received verbal warnings from university professors that if they fail the exams, they face expulsion. But from verbal warnings, this can turn into a big problem. Since universities are obliged to expel those students who have not passed the practice, tests or exams. Accordingly, massive deductions may begin over time.

But this problem can be solved in an elementary way - by issuing a government decree so that students can come to Russia to study. For example, people can come to Russia to work, but why not to study? For efficiency in making a decision, you can assemble a working group. There - with the participation of the student community, human rights defenders, lawyers, Rosobrnadzor, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Education - it would be possible to decide on all the formulations.

Yes, even in the summer, both university teachers and students were worried that such a situation could arise. But everyone thought that the pandemic would end and everything would be fine. But, as we can see, it did not become good. We have a good proverb on this score: "Until the thunder breaks out, the man will not cross himself." But now that we have already seen the problem, it can be quickly resolved. In any case, I hope that both Tatiana Golikova and Mikhail Mishustin will take the necessary measures to resolve this situation. The promptness of the adoption of the necessary amendments depends on their volitional decision.

The arrival of foreign students in Russia will be better for all parties. Including universities. Since if students nevertheless start having problems with academic performance, then universities may lose their paid students who pay for their education. That is, it is a minus to the budget. And also the massive deductions of foreign students is a minus to the image of Russia”, - Melnikov said.