Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 caused a massive shock to the higher education sector, dramatically changing the lives and plans of international students, which are easily visible from the travel restrictions, social distancing and wearing masks, isolation measures, quarantine, campus closure, border closure, non-availability of part-time jobs, withering away economic supports etc. Japan is one of the top destinations for international students, especially from Bangladesh, who intend to build a career in multinational companies. Every year, many foreign students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate-level education at different universities and training colleges in Japan. A big chunk of Asian students, especially South Asian and Southeast Asian students, dream of studying in Japan. This paper aims to identify the challenges of Bangladeshi students who are now studying in Japan and passing through their hard times in the post-COVID-19 era. Research is designed to conduct a thorough investigation of the Bangladeshi students’ activities and lifestyles to assess the challenges and formulate a problem-solving strategy. Multiple apparatuses were employed to triangulate the data. The outcome of this research is significantin identifying and mitigating the problems, and as a result, foreign students’ service to higher education institutions could be more efficient and reliable.

Keywords: International Students, Japan-Bangladesh, Foreign Students, Higher Education, Mental Health, Covid-19

Notes on Contributor
Associate Professor, Department of Japanese Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, E-mail: dsharmin.jsc@du.ac.bd, Contact: 88-01838181879