First Group of Int'l School Teachers Allowed to Return to BJ

Mina Yan theBeijinger

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When China banned foreigners from entering the country due to COVID-19 in March, many teachers and staff at international schools were amongst those stranded abroad. After months of teaching remotely across various time zones, however, there’s finally a bit of good news for the international education community.

Over the past few months several major companies – notably Universal Studios – were able to obtain a deal whereby their foreign employees could be exempt from the ban, which gave rise to whispers about various international schools in Beijing seeking a similar deal for their faculty members. This week, Keystone Academy (en.keystoneacademy.cn) was able to confirm that the first group of their teachers will be returning to Beijing.

Keystone Academy issued an announcement through the school’s website, stating:

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"The School Leadership Team has been working closely with government authorities on reopening procedures, including the urgent task of bringing Keystone faculty members who are currently abroad back to China. Following a three-month effort, the Keystone Office of Government Relations and the administrative team announce that the school’s application for the visas of the first group of 14 foreign faculty, including some academic leaders and returning and new teachers, has been approved by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Beijing Municipal Government. Keystone received this official notice on Friday, July 10."

Moreover, the administrative team is now actively helping a second group of Keystone faculty with their visa applications so they can fly back to China as soon as possible. The school has not yet announced further details on when this first group of faculty will actually arrive, but say they will keep its student body informed through the school’s website.

On Friday, Jul 17, Daystar Academy announced on their official WeChat account that they too expect to be welcoming back international teachers from abroad soon.

As schools all around the city continue to navigate the difficulties caused by these uncertain times, this latest news from Keystone Academy is a small light at the end of the tunnel for the international education community.