Internationalization of higher education sector in the era of a pandemic

The unprecedented undermining, which faced the system of education as a result of COVID-19, pushed back against all the world achievements in the education and scientific sector whereas the higher education can be safely called one of the spheres, a pandemic has greatly influenced at a global scale. Despite the fact that numerous problems emerged in the given field, which are examined in the article, the academia has demonstrated consistency, readiness to distance learning and provided a basis for further renovations. The given article analyzes the main issues of high school internationalization in response to the induced transition of universities to distance educational technologies. The advantages and disadvantages of distance learning, which faced the international academic community across the globe, are discussed. COVID-19 has compromised internationalization of universities: international educational program financing is drastically slashed, academic mobility programs are reduced, international student and academic staff exchange programs are canceled, scientific research projects of universities are put on hold. All the mentioned trends have had a negative impact on higher education institutions, including in particular specialist’s programs. The pandemic has made significant changes in the lay-out of foreign students aiming at obtaining a higher education abroad. Many universities set sights on virtual mobility with the redundancy of foreign students. Universities qualify their teaching staff to cooperate with foreign students in the digitalized environment, developing advanced strategies of virtual mobility and using current technological platforms. Higher educational institutions hold a large number of webinars and online-conventions. Departments of Education and Science, centers for scientific research, pollsters and monitoring centers of many countries had to amend the education legislation on activity management and labor remuneration of the teaching staff, online administering entrance exams and the Final Certifying Examination. The upside include significant work of universities on new mode of interaction with academic partners, virtual mobility increase and crisis planning formation with partnership organizations. All the countries are tasked to address the consequences of a pandemic, but due to current data we can deduce that the trend of educational digitalization and academic exchanges will extend. Countries and universities are recommended to carry out an audience and use the gathered experience down the road. International organizations are inevitably to consolidate their efforts to render and provide assistance in the sphere of higher education of the more needy countries. Herewith holding of scholarship programs and grant schemes on scientific research practice cannot be dismissed. Within the scope of the given phenomenon it is safe to assume that grant competition will rise exponentially in the context of economical growth. The analysis revealed that universities faced similar challenges, but responded to them at different speed. Furnishing graduates from a secondary school and university students with live information about the situation in higher education can be safely called the most essential moment. On the ground of the undertaken study the authors of the article came to the conclusion that the humankind, pursuing the aim of restoring main services and intended purposes of higher education, has every reason to reckon on unconfined motivation and untapped potential. National governments and the international scientific commonwealth carry out mission to be committed to principles and carry out needed reforms as a way for students to gain an opportunity to believe again in better tomorrow.