International students

The coronavirus outbreak is the biggest crisis ever to hit international education

Reseñas

By: Martin La Monica.

The coronavirus outbreak may be the biggest disruption to international student flows in history.

There are more than 100,000 students stuck in China who had intended to study in Australia this year. As each day passes, it becomes more unlikely they will arrive in time for the start of the academic year.

Of course international affairs are bound to sometimes interfere with the more than 5.3 million students studying outside their home country, all over the world.

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the United States closed its borders temporarily and tightened student visa restrictions, particularly for students from the Middle East. Thousands were forced to choose different study destinations in the following years.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia’s government instructed all its citizens studying in Canada to return home, in protest at the Canadian foreign minister’s call to release women’s rights activists held in Saudi jails.

A significant proportion of the 12,000 or so Saudi students in Canada left to continue their studies elsewhere, before the Saudi government quietly softened its stance.

So we have seen calamities before, but never on this scale. There are a few reasons for this.

Why this is worse than before

The current temporary migration of students from China to Australia represents one of the largest education flows the world has ever seen. Federal education department data show there were more than 212,000 Chinese international students in Australia by the end of 2019.

Screenshot/Department of Education

This accounts for 28% of Australia’s total international student population. Globally, there are only two study routes that involve larger numbers of students. The world’s largest student flow is from China to the United States and the second largest is from India to the US.

It’s also difficult to imagine a worse time for this epidemic to happen for students heading to the southern hemisphere than January to February, at the end of our long summer break.

Many Chinese students had returned home for the summer and others were preparing to start their studies at the end of February.

By comparison, the SARS epidemic in 2003 didn’t significantly dent international student enrolments in Australia because it peaked around April-May 2003, well after students had started the academic year.

Read more: We need to make sure the international student boom is sustainable

Ending in July that year, the SARS outbreak infected fewer than half the number of people than have already contracted coronavirus. Even during the SARS outbreak Australia didn’t implement bans on those travelling from affected countries.

What will the impact be?

This crisis hits hard for many Chinese students, an integral component of our campus communities. It not only causes disruptions to their study, accommodation, part-time employment and life plans, but also their mental well-being.

A humane, supportive and respectful response from the university communities is vital at this stage.

Australia has never experienced such a sudden drop in student numbers.

The reduced enrolments will have profound impacts on class sizes and the teaching workforce, particularly at masters level in universities with the highest proportions of students from China. Around 46% of Chinese students are studying a postgraduate masters by coursework. If classes are too small, universities will have to cancel them.

And the effects don’t end there. Tourism, accommodation providers, restaurants and retailers who cater to international students will be hit hard too.

Chinese students contributed A$12 billion to the Australian economy in 2019, so whatever happens from this point, the financial impact will be significant. The cost of the drop in enrolments in semester one may well amount to several billion dollars.

The newly-formed Global Reputation Taskforce by Australia’s Council for International Education has commissioned some rapid response research to promote more informed discussion about the implications and impacts of the crisis.

Read more: What attracts Chinese students to Aussie universities?

If the epidemic is contained quickly, some of the 100,000 students stuck in China will be able to start their studies in semester one, and the rest could delay until mid-year. But there might still be longer-term effects.

Australia has a world-class higher education system and the world is closely watching how we manage this crisis as it unfolds.

Prospective students in China will be particularly focused on Australia’s response as they weigh future study options.

The world is watching

Such a fast-moving crisis presents a range of challenges for those in universities, colleges (such as English language schools) and schools who are trying to communicate with thousands of worried students who can’t enter the country.

Australian universities are scrambling to consider a wide range of responses. These include:

  • delivering courses online
  • providing intensive courses and summer or winter courses
  • arrangements around semester commencement
  • fee refund and deferral
  • provision of clear and updated information
  • support structures for starting and continuing Chinese students, including extended academic and welfare support, counselling, special helplines, and coronavirus-specific information guidelines
  • support with visa issues, accommodation and employment arrangements.

A coordinated approach involving different stakeholders who are providing different supports for Chinese students is an urgent priority. This includes education providers, government, city councils, international student associations, student groups and professional organisations.

 

Source of the review: https://theconversation.com/the-coronavirus-outbreak-is-the-biggest-crisis-ever-to-hit-international-education-131138

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New Zealand: Polytechnic reforms damage international students

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Oceania/ New Zealand/ 01.07.2019/ Source: www.scoop.co.nz.

The Government’s proposed tertiary reforms have gone much further than first thought, and could damage New Zealand’s international students, National’s Tertiary Education spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says.

“The international student market, worth $500 million, is at risk under the polytechnic reforms.

“A perfect storm is brewing around our international polytechnic market, including domestic uncertainty, branding uncertainty and delayed visa processing in Mumbai.

“International students are vital to polytechnics and the New Zealand economy. But in the Cabinet document outlining the reforms, which was leaked to National, barely three sentences were given to international students.

“The sector is very concerned that key parts of the international student journey, including local recruitment may be taken by the new mega polytechnic head office.

“Even Education Minister Chris Hipkins was concerned when his officials urgently asked how the reforms were being received in the Chinese market.

“The sector and the market urgently needs clarity and stability, way beyond three sentences. The Minister needs to bite the bullet and lay out detailed plans.”

Source of the notice: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1906/S00275/polytechnic-reforms-damage-international-students.htm

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Japan to boost education support for non-native children

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Asia/ Japan/ 18.06.2019/ Fuente: asia.nikkei.com.

Easier-to-read entrance tests among proposals for more inclusive schools

Japan will provide more support for educating children of foreign nationals from early childhood through high school, including by increasing Japanese-language classes, under a plan released Monday.

The education ministry’s proposals follow changes in April to immigration law that allow certain foreign workers to bring family with them to Japan. Schools had already been facing a rise in students learning Japanese as a second language, prompting criticism that efforts on this front were lagging.

Monday’s plan, which calls for working «to ensure that all children of foreign nationals have educational opportunities,» seeks to provide seamless support to learners from preschoolers to job-seeking international students.

It proposes multi-language guides to ensure parents have information on how to enroll students at kindergartens and elementary schools.

Public schools are to receive more teachers for Japanese as a second language as well as aides who speak the languages of foreign students. Some schools currently have no such staff. Regions with a shortage of human resources will use translation and distance-learning systems.

Public high schools will be asked to give special considerations for Japanese-language learners when taking admissions tests, such as making it easier to read kanji characters and allowing the children to bring dictionaries into the exam rooms.

The ministry proposes creating an evening middle school program in every prefecture and major city for those who could not receive compulsory education in their home countries.

The initiative also will help international students in higher education find jobs in Japan, proposing the certification of collaboration programs between universities and businesses.

The plan covers Japanese-language learners of all ages.A 14-language online curriculum for self-study will be developed for residents of areas that lack easy access to Japanese-language classes.

Source of the notice: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Japan-immigration/Japan-to-boost-education-support-for-non-native-children2

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Australia: Economy relies on China as international students prop up our universities

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Oceania/ Australia/ 17.10.2018/ Source: www.news.com.au.

IT WAS 3.30pm as I waited at a popular Melbourne cafe in the heart of the city. I had arranged to meet Xing Wu, a 32-year-old Chinese international student from the Fujian Province in the southeast of China.

I had arrived early — enough time to sit back and watch pedestrian traffic. I couldn’t help but notice the high levels of young Asian students streaming past to Central Station, across the road from the city campus of RMIT.

When Xing arrived, I offered the traditional Western greeting of a handshake and a hello. In return, he offered me the traditional Chinese custom of a gift — in this case a sweet Chinese berry drink, bought from one of Melbourne’s ever-increasing supply of Asian specialty stores.

I had arranged to speak with Xing to better understand his experience. Why study here?

Why travel thousands of kilometres and pay exorbitant fees? In Xing’s case, he has paid around $64,000 for a two-year accounting course.

His response was surprisingly simple and relatable: “I wanted to experience the outside world. Away from the Chinese regional life where my father works as a public servant and my mother who is a retired factory worker.”

When discussing his studies, Xing laments the hardest part of his course is the high level of English proficiency required.

While he had hoped to improve his English here, one of the biggest challenges is that he’s just one of thousands of other Chinese students in Australia. He’s much more likely to speak Mandarin in his day-to-day interactions than English.

“There were so many Chinese students in the class, everyone reverted back to speaking it together.”

Xing’s insight isn’t surprising. He is just one of 187,547 Chinese International Students who were enrolled to study in Australia in 2017-18.

Education is Australia’s third largest export after iron ore and coal, other industries heavily reliant on the Chinese purchasing power.

It’s a statistic that worries Peter Jennings. He was a senior adviser for strategic policy in the Howard government, and he’s now executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think tank focused on international relations and defence.

“Australian Universities are overly reliant on Chinese international students, causing an unhealthy dependence from catering to this market” Mr Jennings said.

“This (over-reliance) has left many universities highly vulnerable to either a natural reduction in Chinese students, or at the potential whim of the Chinese Government.”

While that sounds alarmist, Mr Jennings believes there’s sinister activity already occurring.

“There have been cases of Chinese students reporting back to the Chinese Embassy on fellow students that have not followed Beijing rhetoric.”

“It is a possible scenario that China could ban their students from attending Australian Universities over a diplomatic row.”

Mr Jennings believes Australian universities need to cap the number of students they accept from each country, in order to avoid being overly reliant on one economy.

“Australian universities need to stop being so greedy. The ongoing obsession of universities to continue to expand enrolments from international students needs to stop. If this results in a reduction of revenue, that is the price that needs to be paid.”

This year there are nearly 200,000 Chinese students studying in Australia. Picture: The Department of Education and Training

This year there are nearly 200,000 Chinese students studying in Australia. Picture: The Department of Education and TrainingSource:Supplied

While a worst-case scenario of a full withdrawal of Chinese nationals enrolled in Australian universities might appear far-fetched, there have been recent examples of

serious push back from the Chinese Government over international disagreements.

One example that has caused South Korea pain is Seoul’s agreement to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system to counter military threats from North Korea.

Beijing countered this decision by putting in place a consumer boycott of certain products. Hyundai in particular was hurt badly. Sales dropped by 64 per cent in the second quarter of 2017.

The company’s own research institute said this led to a revenue loss of $21 billion.

Australia has also felt the threat from Beijing in recent years.

When former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull attempted to introduce laws that would have banned foreign political donations, required registration of lobbyists, and strengthened anti-espionage laws the blow back from Beijing was swift — despite

the idea being blocked in parliament.

In the following weeks Australia was voted “the most unfriendly country” to China in 2017 in a poll of about 14,000 Chinese citizens conducted by the tabloidGlobal Times(owned by the People’s Daily).

MORE: Tensions rise as Chinese Government’s influence infiltrates Aussie universities

But Universities Australia deputy chief executive Catriona Jackson doesn’t think there’s cause for alarm.

“International education has been a huge success story for Australia — one that has been built up deliberately and strategically over the past 60 years,” she said.

“Not only does international education bring $32 billion worth of export income to our economy and support 130,000 jobs — it gives Australia access to a future network of business and political leaders and makes an important contribution to Australia’s foreign policy, soft power diplomacy and regional security.”

She dismissed Mr Jennings’s arguments as “a distraction”, confident that the sector would continue to thrive.

Returning to Xing’s story, it’s clear he, along with all other international students, are providing this country with much more than money.

Looking at the stores and restaurants surrounding RMIT, you can see that Melbourne, like many other Australian cities, is changing.

And even if many of the students frequenting those businesses eventually go home to China, we’re making global connections with tomorrow’s leaders, changing the way they think.

Xing sums it up well. After a lifetime of learning in China where he was told to listen and follow, he’s now been taught to “think critically and embrace an independent learning model”. Although he plans to return home to look after his parents, his world view has been impacted for life. And it could affect generations to come.

Source of the notice: https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/economy-relies-on-china-as-international-students-prop-up-our-universities/news-story/6bea7fc2c0c7dbd364346b74722c67df

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UK visa changes ‘discriminate’ against Indian students

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Asia/Inda/universityworldnews

Resumen: Los movimientos del gobierno del Reino Unido para facilitar los procedimientos de visa de estudiantes para una docena de países no europeos han causado indignación en India cuyos estudiantes, entre los más numerosos en el Reino Unido, han sido excluidos mientras que los estudiantes chinos se benefician de los cambios que entran efecto el 6 de julio.  El anuncio del 15 de junio, que amplía la lista de países de «vía rápida» de 15 a 26, se presentó en el parlamento británico el mismo día. Permite una documentación reducida para los requisitos de competencia en idioma inglés, educativo y financiero y coloca a países como Argentina, Bahrein, Camboya, China, Indonesia, Serbia, Tailandia y Estados Unidos a la par con Canadá y Nueva Zelanda, cuyos nacionales ya se benefician de procesos simplificados para visas para estudiar en el Reino Unido.  Pero India, uno de los tres países principales que envían estudiantes al Reino Unido después de China y Estados Unidos, no ha sido incluido, y se considera que sus ciudadanos están en mayor riesgo de ‘desaparecer’ una vez que ingresan con visas de estudiante, a pesar de la falta de Evidencia del Ministerio del Interior para respaldar este reclamo frente a estudiantes de otras nacionalidades. De hecho, un informe de la Oficina de Estadísticas Nacionales del Reino Unido del año pasado señaló que la mayoría de los estudiantes indios solían irse poco después de graduarse de las instituciones del Reino Unido, antes de que sus visas expiraran.En 2016, unos 7,469 estudiantes indios abandonaron el país antes de la fecha de vencimiento de su visa, mientras que 2,209 se quedaron para solicitar una extensión de visa.  «Los estudiantes tailandeses, chinos, indios y norteamericanos tenían más probabilidades de partir antes de que expiraran sus visas de estudio, mientras que los estudiantes rusos, bangladesíes, paquistaníes y sauditas tenían más probabilidades de extender su permiso para permanecer [en el Reino Unido]», según el informe. Oficina de Estadísticas Nacionales.

Moves by the United Kingdom government to ease student visa procedures for around a dozen non-European countries have caused outrage in India whose students – among the most numerous in the UK – have been excluded while Chinese students stand to benefit from the changes which come into effect on 6 July.

The announcement on 15 June which extends the list of ‘fast-track’ countries from 15 to 26, was tabled in the British parliament the same day. It allows reduced documentation for educational, financial and English language proficiency requirements and puts countries like Argentina, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Serbia, Thailand and the United States on a par with Canada and New Zealand whose nationals already benefit from streamlined processes for visas to study in the UK.

But India, one of the top three countries sending students to the UK after China and the US, has not been included, with its nationals regarded as being at a higher risk of ‘disappearing’ once they enter on student visas, despite a lack of Home Office evidence to back up this claim vis-a-vis students of other nationalities.

In fact, a UK Office for National Statistics report last year noted that a majority of Indian students tended to leave soon after graduating from UK institutions, before their visas expired. In 2016, some 7,469 Indian students left the country before their visa expiry date while 2,209 stayed to request a visa extension.

“Thai, Chinese, Indian and North American students were more likely to depart before their study visas expired, whereas Russian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Saudi Arabian students were more likely to extend their leave to remain [in the UK],” according to the Office for National Statistics.

It additionally noted the “strong evidence” that the methodology used by the UK government is likely to “underestimate student emigration” so that student figures as part of net immigration are likely to be an overestimate.

A Home Office paper released in August 2017 on exit checks of all people known to have left the UK found that 97.4% of 181,024 international students from outside Europe left on time.

The UK government’s exclusion of Indian students contrasts with Canada which announced a ‘Student Direct Stream’ earlier this month to speed up visa processing times for students from China, India, Vietnam and the Philippines for certain categories of students who satisfy language and financial requirements.

‘Discriminatory policy’

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK expressed disappointment at India’s exclusion, which it said effectively categorises Indian students as “high risk”, and said it was unfair that Indian students should be treated differently from Chinese or other nationals on the list. It raises the question, “Will China continue to get even more favourable actions while India gets the rhetoric?” said Sanam Arora, NISAU UK president.

“Such a discriminatory move has naturally caused outrage among Indians who feel cheated and humiliated. One feels compelled to ask why India is deemed high risk only when it comes to students, while the same Theresa May government has removed the visa cap for Indian doctors and nurses?” an English-language tabloid newspaper DNA said in an editorial last Monday.

It was referring to the exemption of doctors and nurses from the UK’s annual cap of 20,700 visas announced by the May government recently amid shortages being experienced by the country’s National Health Service.

India has repeatedly raised the issue of visas for students and professionals during high level meetings, including during Theresa May’s visit to India in 2016, and most recently during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London in April.

Indian MP, Ahmed Patel of the opposition Congress party, tweeted: “Extremely unfortunate that our students have been left out from UK’s simplified visa process,” and called for the Ministry of External Affairs to take the issue up with the British government at the “highest levels”.

The Indian High Commission in London said High Commissioner YK Sinha met with UK Minister of State for Universities Sam Gyimah earlier this month and “made special mention of the challenges regarding smoother and greater student, faculty mobilities” between the two countries.

Sinha has in the past contrasted the UK’s treatment of Indian students with countries such as Australia, Germany and France which are “actively going on to campuses in India and trying to attract students there”, he said. “There is something going wrong here because the UK has obviously been the first preference for Indian students.”

Link to trade relations

In the UK, criticism of the exclusion was linked the need to improve trade relations with non-EU countries as Britain leaves the European Union. India is seen as an important potential trading partner.

In a statement issued last Monday, James Kirkup, director of the Social Market Foundation, an independent public policy think tank based in London, said: “Being seen to discriminate against Indian students is an act of economic and diplomatic self-harm” by the British government.

The decision to exclude Indian students from new immigration rules was a missed opportunity for Britain. “Brexit means it is more important than ever for Britain to demonstrate that it is economically and intellectually open to the world. This decision sends the wrong message to India and its students,” Kirkup said.

In the year that ended in September 2010, Britain gave visas to 60,322 students from India. By September 2017, the figure had fallen to 14,081. During the same period, the number of Indians studying at American and Canadian universities had risen, according to the think tank.

Lord Karan Bilimoria, president for the UK Council for International Student Affairs, said the exclusion was an insult to India and an example of Britain’s “economically illiterate and hostile attitude to immigration”.

Excluding India from the list “is myopically short-sighted and is damaging what has always been a special relationship between our countries”.

Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer and founding chair of the UK India Business Council, said: “It is completely hypocritical that this is announced at the same time that Britain is talking about doing a post-Brexit free trade agreement with India. If this is the way they treat India, they can dream on about an FTA with India.”

According to the Home Office, 90% of Indian students who apply for a UK visa are successful, up from 86% in 2014 and 83% in 2013, and the Home Office added that Indian student visa applications are up 30% on last year. “We continue to have regular discussions with the Indian government on a range of issues, including on visas and UK immigration policy,” it said.

Fuente: http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20180619132721781

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