by Yasir Habib Khan 

 

 

 

VEHARI, Feb. 3 (Gwadar Pro) - Voices of Pakistani Students, who took online classes and examinations in Pakistan from their respective Chinese' educational institutions over the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, are gaining popularity on the local and international spectrum with observations that China has saved their educational careers.

 

Among the voices, Mehwish Muzaffar, a PhD student in East China Normal University who returned to Pakistan at the time of outbreak of first spell of COVID-19 pandemic in China and later got stuck in Pakistan, is the beneficiary of China's system of online classes and examinations.

 

"My educational career, highly susceptible to suffering, has got a new lease of life after the coronavirus onslaught, and credit goes to an efficient system of online classes and examinations arranged and administered by Chinese colleges and universities,” she said.

 

"The system is so effective that almost one year is gone and nothing went wrong while taking online classes even though there are ordeals of poor internet access in my remote village, which is about 25 kilometers away from Vehari, a district of South Punjab known to be impoverished and underdeveloped in Pakistan," she revealed.

 

She deplored WiFi signal issues, but she said "my university is very supportive. If the lectures are not understood due to the weak signal, they provide recordings, so the study is not disturbed," she added.

 

Talking about challenges of cold weather and digital hitches during her last term online examination, she said "early in the morning it was freezing cold at rooftop of my home but I had to come out to catch WiFi signals to take my online PhD examination.”

 

In an interview with Gwadar Pro, she said "in wee hours, icy winds were enough to freeze my fingers and hands but I had to keep them uncovered to make myself able to use laptop and mobile." For a few seconds, she said, when WiFi signals turned dim and were lost, during online examination, terrible vibes made her heart flutter.

 

"I kept Chinese examiners posted about the issue. Though uncertainty remained for a while, online invigilators showed their kindness and let me continue my exam. After a two-hour-long digital scramble, I did my online exam successfully," she explained.

 

 

Mehwish is the first girl from her family and many surrounding villages to be studying in Chinese top university. "I don't want to lead the life of an ordinary girl who ends up in kitchen chores. I aspire to contribute to society by making maximum use of my studies instead of just making babies after marriage. I believe in myself and I am sure to make a difference," she added.

 

"I am doing a PhD from Shanghai on a Chinese government scholarship and my youngest sister has just completed the first semester of PhD online from China as a scholarship student. There was no trend to go to the university especially for girls, but using our names as reference in my village, now about ten females convinced their parents to allow them to join universities. We thank China and its educational scope for Pakistani students for helping them materialize dreams in their eyes," she added.

 

"For me, China is a paradise. It’s a free environment where no one stares at me because I am a girl. I wish I could go back to China soon and complete my degree peacefully. As I started my education journey with difficulties and hardships at the age of 5, I walked two miles a day no matter it’s sunny or rainy. I’m used to working with new challenges and difficulties. I am much stronger now," she mentioned.

 

Given the situation, the majority of Pakistani students taking online classes and examinations from China raised their voices for their early return to their respective universities to complete their studies without any hitch. However, the resurgence of pandemic hampered their move.

 

On January 22, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) issued an advisory saying "Since the students are already enrolled in Chinese universities and taking online classes, they are advised to continue to attend online classes of their respective programmes and keep close contact with their respective Chinese institutions."

 

HEC advisory said the second wave of COVID-19 and further mutation of coronavirus had increased the spread of the pandemic during the last two months. "The immigration policies for international students to China have not been determined yet," said HEC advisory.

 

Roughly 6,156 Pakistani students are studying in PhD, 3,600 in Masters, 11,100 in Bachelors and 3,000 in Short Term Exchange Programs across China. They are also studying Chinese language, engineering, medicine, computer science and various other fields.