VIETNAM: Students Fly Overseas to Take IELTS Exams After Indefinite Suspension in Vietnam

Posted by Asia Views | Nov 14, 2022 | 0 |

VNExpress-Nov 13

Many Vietnamese students are spending money on flying to nearby countries to take the IELTS (The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test after it was indefinitely postponed in Vietnam. Less than a day after all IELTS tests conducted by the only two authorized entities in Vietnam – the British Council and the IDP – were postponed without setting new dates, Tran Nhung, 19, from Da Nang City decided to register for the test in Thailand. Nhung was supposed to take the test on November 19. She needs an IELTS certificate early December to complete her college application for Canada. Seeing Nhung’s desperation, her English teacher recommended that she registers for the IELTS test on November 21 at the British Council in Thailand. She did not hesitate and soon after registering, book an air ticket and hotel for her stay in Bangkok. In addition to the exam fee of VND5.1 million ($205), Nhung had to pay an additional VND6 million for an air ticket and a four-day stay in Thailand. She also had to accept losing the exam fee of VND4.6 million she had paid to the British Council in Vietnam. Hanoi resident Thu Ngan, 22, has also registered to take the IELTS test in Thailand on December 1. She needs the certificate to do a master’s degree in Australia. Ngan had an exam scheduled on November 10 with the British Council in Vietnam, but it was canceled. Nhung and Ngan are among hundreds of Vietnamese students who plan to travel abroad for taking IELTS tests following the completely unexpected postponement in Vietnam. The postponement “until further notice” by the British Council and IDP was caused by the organizations failing to acquire their approval documents, the education ministry said, adding that the exams were not being managed properly. The idea of going abroad for the IELTS exam went viral on social media soon after the postponements were announced, attracting great interest from Vietnamese students. Thailand was mentioned the most because it is the easiest country to get to, requires no visa and is already a highly popular tourist destination. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/students-fly-overseas-to-take-ielts-exams-after-indefinite-suspension-in-vietnam-4535459.html

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

VIETNAM: Students Fly Overseas to Take IELTS Exams After Indefinite Suspension in Vietnam

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