Al Akhawayn University (AUI) had to manage the situation of 100 of its students stranded abroad as part of exchange programs with 36 of the 400 partner foreign universities, following the closure of the borders of Morocco due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the university said in a statement.
“With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these students were able to return to their countries. However, the majority of them found themselves stranded abroad thus facing a delicate situation. Putting its students at the center of its priorities, Al Akhawayn has been in permanent contact with these “AUIers” and their families since the beginning of the crisis ”adds the same source.
Faced with an unprecedented problem, the University assures that it has been in permanent contact with these “AUIers” and their families since the beginning of the crisis and has carried out several actions to support them and provide them with assistance so that their stay is happening in the best possible conditions.
Thus, in coordination with the embassies concerned, AUI has ensured that the validity of the visas of its students, particularly those in Europe and the United States, are extended beyond the initial validity which only covered their stay of studies.
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane also contacted the European immigration services so that some of these students could move within the Schengen zone to join family members or acquaintances.
“In view of the excellence of the major schools and host foreign universities – such as ESSEC Business School in Paris, The University of Texas at Austin, Washington College or Boston College – as well as the strong and long-standing partnerships that link them to Al Akhawayn, these institutions have shown great generosity towards the “AUIers”. They notably authorized them to stay in dormitories on university campuses even after the end of the study semester.
In the event that the host university did not have dormitories or when these were closed for the summer, coordination between AUI and its partners was ensured in order to cover the accommodation of students in hotels or accommodation private, ”says one.
In addition, bank transfers and other administrative procedures have been made easier for students in difficulty. Al Akhawayn also maintains permanent contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and MREs as well as the various Moroccan embassies abroad, to guarantee the planning of its students in the list of repatriations.
The university said in the statement that “the cases of Al Akhawayn University students stranded in Japan were repatriated on Tuesday, June 30, 2020”.
“In addition, around twenty students, notably from Denmark, Mexico, Italy, the United States and Afghanistan, have been stranded in Morocco. Al Akhawayn supported them on its campus in Ifrane until June 15, and continued to offer access beyond this date, for those who still could not return to their country “concludes the same source.
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