The fact that the absence of new international students coming into the country in the last two years has led to a financial loss and talent loss to New Zealand is no longer news.
According to some conservative estimates, the education industry has lost some $6billion in direct revenue not to mention the loss to overall economy.
Last month, the government announced that 5,000 international students will be able to enter New Zealand as part of its five-step plan to reopen borders.
After weeks of uncertainty, some clarity was finally provided on who these students will be.
These 5,000 places will be allocated across the sector, based on the proportion of international students who were attending each type of education provider pre-COVID in 2019:
- University - 1,450
- Te Pukenga New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology - 700
- School (year 9 and above) - 1,000
- PTE (including pilot training) - 850
- English Language School - 1,000
Still, a huge communication gap and uncertainty prevails on when and how these students will be able to apply for their visas and finally be able to travel into the country.
Education NZ has said that they anticipate a finalised Implementation Framework to be shared from 14 March 2022.
We spoke to few stakeholders about the current situation and the severity of the impact on the sector.
University of Canterbury(UC) is one of NZ’s biggest university that attracted hundreds of international students from 70 different countries before Covid-19 restrictions hit.
UC says that it has continued to welcome international staff and students as Covid-19 border restrictions have allowed, and continued to actively foster international staff and student exchanges and global research collaborations.
According to University of Canterbury Assistant Vice-Chancellor Engagement Brett Berquist, “We’re thrilled the government has announced a greater number of our overseas students are able to travel or return to Aotearoa to complete their studies.
“We’re aware that our overseas students have had their study severely impacted, and so there’s a continued dedicated University of Canterbury support team for our online offshore students, along with additional events which connect our online student community with their on-campus counterparts, until they can be with us in person, on campus.”
Bharat Chawla, an industry veteran who runs Uniqway, a tech-focused education start-up that helps international students find the best university and career pathway, is not too happy with the current situation. He told Indian Weekender, “New Zealand has lost its place as a desired destination for international students due to various reasons. Till the year 2020, NZ had around 30,000 to 50,000 international students coming every year.
“It will take a long time for the sector to recover from the setback it has suffered in the last two years. While the primary reason is not having clarity and uncertainty over the border reopening, NZ’s immigration policies have also not been conducive for students to have a clear pathway.”
Chawla said that he still gets a lot of queries from international students who still want to come to study in New Zealand but in the absence of clear information and timeline, they are opting for other countries, so NZ is losing on workforce as also financially.
International students also hesitate as immigration policies are also not very conducive.
According to Abhineeth Sharma, who is Market Sector Manager – International at Ara Institute of Canterbury is cautiously optimistic about the entry of 5,000 international students.
Sharma said it will take months of planning and budgeting for these 5,000 students before they can enter the country, which means that not too many international students will be able to study in New Zealand this calendar year.
Sharma told Indian Weekender, “For education providers like us, it requires immense planning and a lot of effort in recruiting quality students from overseas markets. Due to the delays caused for students wanting to apply for a student visa we have had to revise our planning and work on recruitment strategies for intakes in 2023. We are excited to see the return of international students to our Institute and want to encourage students to explore their options.”
The education sector saw few students come back to NZ when exceptions were announced allowing 1,000 students to return. But the number got spread over various education providers resulting in them getting a very small number of students compared to pre-Covid era.
Sharma still maintains a positive outlook on NZ's reputation as education destination- “NZ education has a great reputation, and we take pride in being ranked as the fifth most popular choice for international students amongst our competitor countries. It may take some time to recover student numbers due to the longer time we have taken to open our borders, but it will happen.
“Every country has something different to offer, and NZ is a really special destination. Ara is based in the central South Island with five campus locations which offer international students the opportunity to combine their study with the stunning scenery and friendly lifestyle of the South Island and experience authentic NZ culture.”
Sharma also highlights the challenges faced in keeping education partners motivated.
“It [border closure] has been difficult for our agent partners too – it takes years to build a strong relationship with stakeholders and Covid has unfortunately disrupted those relationships. As borders open later this year we’re looking forward to continuing to grow those connections and work together to provide new learners with an enriching international study experience.”
Chawla also mentions the loss suffered by NZ businesses which are losing out on trained workforces. These will not be able to get qualified talent until one or two more years as they study and get their qualifications.
Sharma says, “NZ businesses are struggling to find staff. We can see that international students, with their part-time work rights, can fill those gaps in labour shortages, especially in the hospitality and retail industry. When students graduate, they will be able to work in sectors where there is a huge shortage of skilled workers such as construction, ICT, and health."
ISSUE
