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Govt sets $5B international education target

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Wed, 21 Sep 2011 4:34a.m.

Mr Joyce says the development of the leadership statement and establishment of government agency Education New Zealand will boost the sector (file)

Mr Joyce says the development of the leadership statement and establishment of government agency Education New Zealand will boost the sector (file)

The Government is focusing on doubling the economic value of international education to $5 billion over the next 15 years.  

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce yesterday announced the Government’s Leadership Statement for international education, which he says “sets bold aspirations” for the industry.

International education strengthens New Zealand’s economic, cultural and social links with the world as well as boosting our economy, Mr Joyce says, and the connections it encourages are “vital” to forming new ties with overseas trading partners.

The leadership statement includes revenue targets for offshore education services and increased student numbers, including increasing the number of international students enrolled in New Zealand providers offshore from 3,000 to 10,000, and doubling the number of international postgraduate students.

Mr Joyce says the development of the leadership statement and establishment of government agency Education New Zealand will boost the sector.

Education New Zealand says it welcomes the Leadership Statement, and chair Charles Finney says “this is an exciting time for international education in New Zealand”.

“We welcome the fact that Government is setting ambitious targets for the education sector… they will be achievable if we deliver a quality product, if the NZ Inc dynamic works well, and if we can bring the entire sector with us,” he says.

“International education is a vital part of our economy and we want to see it grow even further. [Education New Zealand] is a key part of achieving this.”

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Comments

03 Oct 2011 12:16p.m.

Scott C wrote:

There is some irony in this announcement seeing as when the National govt came in they cut the number of PhD scholarships which were offered to international students from 40 to 10. Also the "establishment" of ENZ wasn't new - it was a pre-existing organisation (not for profit) which was taken over by the governemnt (including it's coffers which had substantial funds - all contributed by the industry - i.e. the universities and polytechs).

I certainly agree with the goals - but the announcement itself only works if you aren't aware of the changes which the government had already made.

22 Sep 2011 07:57p.m.

Mike wrote:

"Schools in this country are 3rd world compared to overseas countries." Such as? If you want to make a statement like this you should at least have the decency to find evidence to back it up. "The Programme for International Student Assessment ranks New Zealand's education as the 7th best in the world. The Education Index, published with the UN's Human Development Index in 2008, based on data from 2006, lists New Zealand as 0.993, amongst the highest in the world, tied for first with Denmark, Finland and Australia." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_New_Zealand) If you have real evidence to back up your claim, please share them; otherwise please stop making things up.

21 Sep 2011 04:27p.m.

jasmine wrote:

I'm a international student. Actually, I wouldn't find it easy to study in NZ because I struggled a lot with literacy criteria for gettting in university. Only Math may have been easier for us to cope with but with other subjects we have to work harder than domestic students. Also, adaptation to New Zealand environment is not easy for us. We have to live far away from our home to get a better education and pay a lot money for studying and living here. we can't have student allowance service and other supports from government even employers also prefer kiwis than us so you guys get a lot of advantages in your own country. I would like to thank NZ government for welcoming me to study in NZ. Please don't compare with us, we also have difficulty too.

21 Sep 2011 12:44p.m.

Clarke wrote:

Thats right. cut places for kiwi kids like you have done John so that you can sell those spaces off to foreigners for the highest price.

21 Sep 2011 11:19a.m.

Sharalee wrote:

What a pity they can't give as much thought to the LOCAL education system. Schools in this country are 3rd world compared to overseas countries. Unless of course your an international student, then you get treated like royalty...A local NZ university student would struggle to keep up if they transferred overseas half way through a degree because the countries overseas are so far ahead of ours. International students come here because it is like going back to high school for them, they find it easy compared to their own Universities.