Hyderabad: COVID-19 has impacted the livelihoods of Telugu students in Australia. After the lockdown, part-time jobs are hard to come by. Students are finding it difficult to survive after losing their part-time jobs. Telangana-based R Siva Reddy, chairman of Young Liberals Multicultural Association and Coordinator of NRI students, shared the challenges of students with Eenadu. He spoke with us from Melbourne.
The Australian government allows students to work part-time but most students are employed unofficially. With the current lockdown, only those who work in supermarkets and gas stations have jobs. The rest have lost their jobs. We are providing essential goods to such students. The virus outbreak is under control here. The lockdown may extend for a few more weeks.
There are 1.2 lakh Telugu students here. Most of them have petty jobs in the hospitality sector. Their problems compounded with the closure of this sector. The Australian government has announced that foreign students must return to their countries after international flights are restored. They may be allowed to return once the situation gets back to normal.
Only foreign citizens with Australian citizenship are exempted from this rule. We contacted the High Commission of India, Australia; and the officials responded positively. They asked students who need help to register on https://www.hcicanberra.gov.in/register.
The government has approved the use of super annuity for students who have been working here legally for a year or more. There is no shortage of essential commodities here. But supermarkets allow only 10 people at a time.
While this is the case in Australia, Telugu students who went to Kyrgyzstan for medical studies are stranded there. They are requesting the central and state governments to repatriate them. The increasing number of positive cases and lack of medical facilities are sending students into a panic.
Some of those students have spoken with Eenadu.
About 15,000 Indian students are studying Medicine here in Kyrgyzstan. There are about 1,500 Telugu students in various colleges in Bishkek, the country’s capital. They are confined to hostel rooms for the past 20 days, owing to the lockdown.
Over 280 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the country with 70 lakh population. According to student coordinator Mohan, the situation may go out of control if the outbreak worsens. He urged the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to take the initiative.
Nagender Reddy, father of Mareddy Sriram, one of the stranded students appealed to the Union Minister Kishan Reddy to bring the students back to India.
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