International students staying safe in Shanxi

Life is still safe for international students in North China's Shanxi province, despite the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia in the country.

According to the Shanxi Provincial Education Department, there were 748 international students in Shanxi as of February.

"We have paid close attention to every international student since January and we require every school to take effective measures to make sure that they can live and study safely in Shanxi," said Han Ruiyong, chief of international cooperation and exchanges at the provincial education department.

Sharifi Shahir, an Afgan student studying at Taiyuan University of Technology, said his life hadn't been disrupted by the epidemic thanks to the school's measures for disease prevention and ensuring enough supplies.

"The school takes our temperatures and we report our health conditions every day. Our dormitories are disinfected every day and the school's logistics department sends us food and other daily necessities every two days," Shahir said.

Al-Maqtari Ahmed Ali Mohammed Hasan, a Yemeni student at Shanxi University, said the school's teachers have shown great consideration for the international students.

"They send us masks and messages of caution. Despite strict preventive measures, life is as usual here in Shanxi," he said."China is a great country and I believe it can win the battle against the epidemic."Agba Chinaza Frances from Nigeria is also a student at Shanxi University. She said she talks to her parents on the phone every day, letting them know she is "safe and sound in China".

A total of 106 international students are remaining during their winter vacation at Shanxi Medical University in Taiyuan.

Among them are Safa Ashiq, Marva Ashiq and Amna Ashiq, three sisters from Pakistan, studying in the same class.

They planned to visit Pingyao, Datong and Beijing but the trips were canceled because of the epidemic.

"We told our parents that the school is the safest place because of the preventive measures," Marva Ashiq said.

To ensure their education is not disrupted by the disease, there are a number of online classes available at the university.

Zafar Muhammed Waleed Bin, a Pakistani student at Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, has been paying close attention to the development of the epidemic in China.

He said he believed China can eventually win the battle because of the Chinese people's courage in the face of difficulties.