Some Australian universities are delaying their semester return while others are offering special consideration for students unable to get back to Australia amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Universities have been scrambling to put in place policies and support for students and staff dealing with the coronavirus and the travel ban put in place by the federal government on Saturday.
There has not been a coordinated response from universities, and their policies will largely depend on when each university is to begin the semester.
Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson on Sunday said that the focus was on the health and safety of people at university, and on minimizing the disruption to their studies.
Monash University in Melbourne on Friday said that it would delay the start of the semester one by one week, now due to start March 9, along with summer exams, due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus making it difficult for students to get back to Australia, or out of isolation after arriving from China.
The University of Sydney announced on Saturday evening it would allow students to enroll up to two weeks after the start of semester (by March 9), or let students defer their studies or have fees refunded.
For the University of New South Wales, where one student tested positive for 2019 novel coronavirus, students can defer their study if affected, and the university will consider late enrolment until the end of this month.
The university has said it would also consider allowing students to take courses online.
Queensland University of Technology has said returning students can seek a leave of absence if they cannot return by the end of week two, while new students unable to travel from China can defer their studies.
The University of Tasmania has said it would offer online courses to the estimated 1,300 students affected by the travel ban.
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and University of Adelaide have said classes would continue as normal.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS