Online education: A mixed blessing for international students in Sweden

Author: Syeda Shehreen Fatima

This article is part of Changing the Narrative. Articles in this series are written by student or early career journalists who took part in The Local’s training course on solutions-focused migration reporting. Find out more about the project here

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many universities and students to shift from traditional to online learning methods in order to follow health and safety restrictions. While a blessing for many, for some international students, it appears to be a double-edged sword.

When Covid-19 started hitting the mass public in late 2019 and early 2020, resulting in lockdowns around the world, education seemed to be brought to a temporary halt because of shutdowns of institutions.

Sweden has had a liberal approach towards Covid-19 throughout the pandemic and even though there is no official lockdown, universities have generally opted for distance learning, often at the government’s urging. The problem of not being able to physically attend educational institutions was quickly met with responses such as holding classes and seminars online, and online learning has been a part of daily life for students since then.

 

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