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Opinions of Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Columnist: Joyce Appiah-Agyekum

Impact of coronavirus on study abroad

Joyce Appiah-Agyekum Joyce Appiah-Agyekum

The Coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak has caused a lot of disruption to life all over the world. It has affected both economic and social activities globally among others and caused low productivity in all spheres of business and economic life. There is also its attendant closure of businesses, various travel restrictions and bans of movements internationally and domestically.

As a result, tourism has greatly been and quite linked to tourism is a study abroad. Closure of schools has led to many online study on platforms such as zoom. Many universities have had to make changes in their operations and innovate many ways by which teaching and learning happen. As Coronavirus has become an important issue worldwide, it is important that much care is taken in order to curb its devastating nature and to see to it that the world can still operate in a safe nature.

Many deaths have been recorded worldwide and as there seem to be an apparent new wave or second wave further precautions are needed to be put in place so as to reduce the rate of its infections and further spread. Countries like Germany, France are on a second lockdown. In Ghana further calls for coronavirus protocols are being pronounced and enforced.

All these are measures to find solutions and stop the virus from further spread. As schools and other businesses seek to work to prevent their total collapse it is important for all to understand this call and seek to undertake measures that will be appropriate. Thus should companies seek to adapt to working from home, many workers may not be were laid off.

Thus wearing of nose masks, washing of hands, use of sanitizers, social distancing and all other COVID-19 protocols are necessary to be enforced more than before. The whole world is really in an uncertain time and for many looking to study abroad, there is the need to understand that universities are still keen to welcome international students.

If your interest is to study abroad you still can but it’s up to you to understand the issues relating to Coronavirus and Study or travel abroad. Whether you consider to continue with your study abroad schedule, is up to you to make the choices but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t study abroad once the pandemic is understood, respected and managed.

One study has shown that, although more than 40% of international students who planned to postpone their studies changed their mind, only about 5% cancelled their study abroad plans altogether. The rest are taking further safety precautions seriously, looking at the total environment and how things are unfolding to firm up their decisions. It is now probably too late for you to study abroad in 2020, but you can still take steps to begin your processes in good time and begin your study on 2 January/March/April/August or September 2021. Assuming restrictions all around the world are lifted by mid-2021 or there is a better way to curtail the virus by then, the process of studying abroad should return to normal.

How the pandemic will affect international study long term remains to be seen. It could lead to increased demand in 2021 as those who delayed their studies apply for the following year. So if you are interested the earlier you begin the processes the better.

Whether or not you’ll be able to study abroad will depend on the restrictions in the country you want to study in, and your home country at the time you travel out to study.

Every university will have its own procedures in place, so if you know what country and university you are interested in we will make it better. If you are unsure we will make it clearer and a better process for you. Many universities are actively still seeking international students to enrol and because we work with them we are aware of the many alternative arrangements in place if you can’t travel when term starts.