International students start arriving to University after easing of restrictions
Flight exchange with many countries has been resumed.
Head of Student Adaptation Unit Sergey Tsvetkov explained the procedures, “Students can send a notification about their arrival by e-mail. If they enroll in the Preparatory School, they contact our Unit, and for other programs – their respective institute or faculty. They must bring negative COVID test results with them to Russia. After filling in the form for dorm check-in, the students have to purchase a medical insurance card and listen to life and safety instructions. After that, they receive a special control checklist to signify that they are subject to self-isolation until they receive a negative COVID test result from our University Clinic.”
If such a second test is negative, students can proceed to face-to-face studies. If they are confirmed to be infected with COVID, they are placed to the University Clinic’s COVID ward, and their contact persons have to go through mandatory isolation period of two weeks at the University’s sanatorium.
As Tsvetkov noted, 324 international students have arrived since August, and 1,916 enrollees are still at their home countries.
One of such students is Moaz Al-Aydi (Egypt), who commented, “I want to enroll in the KFU’s medical program, so I study Russian language, chemistry and biology at the Preparatory School. We started this academic year in Microsoft Teams. I am very glad that the borders are now open and I could arrive to Russia.”
Master student from Kazakhstan Ilnura Kashafutdinova was also able to return to Russia to continue her education, “It was somewhat disheartening to study online. I was also starved for personal communication. I am very content to return to my favorite university and my dorm – which has excellent living amenities.” Ilnura also mentioned that she is glad to know that Russia provides an opportunity to be inoculated against COVID.
Source text: Larisa Busil
Photos: Alexander Kuznetsov
Translation: Yury Nurmeev
