After plans getting postponed to open borders welcoming students to traditional ways of teaching amid the surge of omicron cases, the rush seems to settle somehow now. Western Australia is all cheered to welcome students back to primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, etc. after postponing the plan initiated on the 5th of February.
- Numbers suggest that over 80,000 students were allowed to enter the state this week.
- Some 900 students entered on January 20th, 2022.
Quarantine restrictions remain intact for the students planning to return as for other travelers. Campus accommodation, or other places sanctioned by WA Police or WA Health can be used to quarantine.
As part of the initial plan, the government divided funds in the following ways:
- Western Australia has allocated AUS$16 million to the state’s foreign education sector.
- An amount of $8 million for a Student Quarantine Support Program.
- Small and medium-sized education providers will get $6 million in incentives.
- $2 million for a University Services for Students Support Program were among the funds allocated.
Requirements to cater before entering the state:
- Students must be fully vaccinated with documents of proof.
- A negative report of rapid antigen test before 24 hours of arriving is required.
- 7 days quarantine is a must.
Let’s look at the statistics
- 80,000 international students planned their return ever since the borders reopened.
- 13,500 students arrived last week to get back to their classes or even start a new academic session.
- Some 7,000 students returned on 24th January 2022.
- Australian Universities claim that the over 13,500 students who arrived in the previous week represented a 33 percent raise over the week before.
Statements by Australian authorities come with a tone of excitement and a hope of working towards wider possibilities and broader visions revolutionizing the educational standards by offering only what’s best for the students.