Message from the CEO
Earlier today the Prime Minister, Rt Hon John Key, addressed Parliament on his government’s agenda for 2010. The Prime Ministerial speech had been much anticipated around Wellington and through the news media, with the speech billed as the new government’s roadmap for a “step-change” for the New Zealand economy.
While much of the discussion in the media appeared to focus on proposed tax changes to GST/property/land and capital gains, within the detailed text of the Prime Minister’s 9,000 word statement to the House of Representatives was an outline of a new agenda for stimulating economic growth and recovery, with the economy identified as the Government’s main focus.
The Prime Minister states that: “Our goal is to lift the long-term performance of the economy, to make New Zealand a more prosperous country capable of providing well-paid jobs and a better standard of living for us all, and to provide the world-class public services needed to give opportunity and security to New Zealanders and their families.” It also notes that: “I have also asked Ministers to look closely at their individual sectors through an economic growth lens”.
It is pleasing and reassuring to see that the new government has placed such a strong emphasis on developing an economic growth agenda, to develop New Zealand into a thriving, prosperous, world class society. Part of this equation, of course, is the $2.3 billion economic contribution that our industry delivers each year to the New Zealand economy.
As New Zealand’s fifth largest export industry, education should be a critical part of the economic growth agenda to return the economy to a sustainable growth scenario. While export education was not specifically referred to in the Prime Minister's speech, we intend to keep reminding the government of the importance of export education and its still untapped growth potential, as Ministers and officials “look closely at their individual sectors through an economic growth lens”.
The detailed text of the Prime Minsiter's speech is well worth a read. I would encourage you to review it at:
http://static.stuff.co.nz/files/StatementToParliament_2010.pdf
Agent and Media Familiarisation Visits
Further to the previous E-news update on December 8th about the 2010 inbound agent and media familiarisation visits, we are pleased to advise that arrangements are well underway for the Japan, USA and Hong Kong visits. Prabha Ravi will soon be contacting the registered institutions with more information regarding these three visits.
Registrations are now open for hosting visitors from Brazil, China, Korea and Germany. More information is available online HERE and online registrations can be submitted HERE. The registration deadline for these visits is 28th of February. In the case of too many registrations, the itineraries will be compiled on a first in first served basis. Please continue to visit the website regularly for updates on these visits.
A fund of up to $60,000 worth of Air New Zealand flights for inbound visitors is available to industry via a contestable process administered by Education New Zealand. A reminder that applications for the Contestable Fund must be submitted to ENZ by Friday 26 February 2010.
Should you have any questions regarding this project, please e-mail agents@educationnz.org.nz .
ENZ Offshore Report - India
Namaste from India!
My name is Jugnu Roy and I represent Education New Zealand’s interests in India.
Study abroad is a very important and dynamic segment in India, sending more than 100,000 students overseas each year. Currently the Indian student market is going through extremely volatile times. The racism issues in Australia and the closing down of student visas in north India by the UK have left the Indian market in a state of confusion. This has also led to the student market coming under the scanner of the Indian government, which is keeping a watchful eye on it and trying wherever possible to clean up the market - especially the unscrupulous recruitment agents.
New Zealand has however emerged as one of the more dependable and safe destinations for Indian students. 2009 saw no significant decrease in new Indian students going to New Zealand. This clearly shows that neither the market downturn nor the current market conditions have adversely affected the popularity of NZ as a higher education destination. New Zealand has been garnering some very positive press coverage in India in the last couple of months too.
In recognition of the growing importance of India to New Zealand the NZ government has announced the opening a Consulate General in Mumbai later this year. Immigration NZ is planning to open a second Indian office as part of the Consulate in the second half of 2010. This is likely to provide a significant increase in Immigration NZ’s visa processing capacity.
New Zealand has been the pioneer in establishing a group of dependable agents under the NZ Specialist Agents programme . This group of 24 agents in India have consistently worked towards establishing and reinforcing NZ as a high quality education destination. The main interest areas for students in recent times have been business management, computing/IT and hospitality (in that order).
Education New Zealand is undertaking some interesting new promotional concepts in India to enhance the brand of New Zealand education amongst the target audience. The next couple of months will witness the first ever inter-school cricket twenty20 series in India supported by ENZ. This will be followed by an extensive interactive outdoor campaign promoting New Zealand as an education destination.
We look forward to the exciting year in store for NZ education in India.
Come Along to the Shanghai World Expo!
Further to the last edition of E-news Education New Zealand has confirmed a New Zealand Education promotion within the New Zealand Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo on Tuesday 15th June 2010.
During the six months the expo will be open it is expected to draw in excess of 70 million visitors.
We welcome industry members to join us at this exciting event to celebrate and expand upon our relations with Chinese officials and 30 of the top performing New Zealand Specialist Agents.
More information about the networking event and an opportunity to submit your contact details for further updates is available HERE.
New Zealand Specialist Agent Training
Thanks to continuous support from the industry, ENZ has created three more Specialist Agent groups over the past few months, increasing the total number to approximately 250 Specialist Agents across a widening range of countries. More information on the New Zealand Specialist Agent programme is available online HERE.
On 22 December in Taipei, 40 education agents attended the first New Zealand Specialist Agent training day to be held in Taiwan. We are currently checking references, and will load details to the website and advise industry of the results in a future edition of E-news. We expect the list of agents to be complete in mid March, in time for ENZ to present certificates to the successful agents during a formal ceremony prior to the PACE Taipei Agent Seminar and Student Workshop in late March.
ENZ is holding Specialist Agent training for Vietnamese education agents in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Agents have already been invited directly, but those who did not receive the invitation and would like to attend can register their details online. Places are limited and interest is high with over 40 registrations already received in each centre.
Hanoi registrations are being taken HERE until 25 February.
Ho Chi Minh City registrations are being taken HERE until 25 February.
In addition to the two training days in Vietnam above, ENZ is also holding Specialist Agent Training for Malaysian education agents in Subang Jaya, Malaysia on Tuesday, 9th of March. The training day has been set to take place at the conclusion of the PACE New Zealand Education Fairs in Malaysia. Malaysia based Agents have already been invited directly, but those who did not receive the invitation and would like to attend can register their details online HERE until Monday 22 February.
Agent Conduct
All New Zealand Specialist Agents are required to sign the New Zealand Specialist Agents Code of Conduct. To ensure that the reputation and standing of Specialist Agents is upheld, Education New Zealand is committed to investigate any alleged or suspected breach of the code of conduct by a Specialist Agent, in an objective, unprejudiced, timely, and discreet manner; and with the assistance of any other institutions, businesses, or person Education New Zealand sees fit.
If a Specialist Agent is found to be in breach of the Code, Education New Zealand will issue the Agent a formal letter outlining the Specialist Agent Code non-compliance and seek adequate redress, to be defined on a case by case basis, and within a timeframe defined on a case by case basis. If industry members are aware of any breach of the code, they should read the full information related to the Code of Conduct online HERE in the first instance, and then contact us at agents@educationnz.org.nz if they wish to proceed with lodging a formal complaint..
PACE 2010 Update
North Asia Mission, 22 - 30 March 2010
This is the final reminder before registrations close on Monday 15 February. Further information and a link to register online is available for the following cities Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichiung. For further information please contact Rahael.
South American Mission, 9 April – 17 April
Education New Zealand is organising a Mission to South America in April. This is an ideal opportunity to promote your school to our top-performing education agents in South America. Made up of Agent Seminars in São Paulo and Bogotá and the two day Expoestudios Fair in Santiago, the full trip will run for 9 days. A shorter trip is an option for those who wish to visit fewer cities. An ENZ staff member will be on hand during the Mission and the group will receive marketing advice in advance to aid preparation as well as further market briefings and assistance along the way.
Please note that the ExpoIngles Fair organised by AREI that was to be held on 16 & 17 April has now been postponed to early May. A new fair called Expoestudios will be held on 16 & 17 April, and we will be supporting this event with a New Zealand pavilion. The organisers of the Expostudios Fair have extended the early bird deadline to Monday 15 February.
Relevant for all sectors (except for junior schools) the Mission is ideal for those wanting to expand their contacts in South America. There’s no better way to establish new agent relationships than with face to face meetings.
The registration deadline is Friday 26 February, for more information about the Mission please click HERE, for Market Profiles please click HERE - you will need to be logged in to the site to view this page. For further queries, please contact Rahael.
New Zealand Education Virtual Fair, Germany, May
In 2010 we are trialling a new format to the PACE calendar by holding the first New Zealand Education Virtual Fair. We have chosen to target Germany based on the high uptake of the use of online tools and social media and high rates of internet usage.
The Virtual Fair will run for the entire month of May, with three live 3 hour sessions on Tuesday 11, 18 and Thursday 20. The Virtual Fair format has worked well in other industries and we would like to see it succeed for Export Education.
*NEWSFLASH* the cost of this event has just been dropped to encourage participation; booths now start from $1,500 + GST for those who register online prior to Monday 22 February.
For more information, testimonies, or to book a demo please click HERE or contact Laurette.
New Zealand Education Fairs, Vietnam, 4 - 7 June
This year the New Zealand Education Fairs in Vietnam will precede Thailand, to ensure we avoid the Vietnamese school holidays later in June. In June 2009 over 1,400 Vietnamese visitors attended the two fairs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The schedule this year is as follows:
Hanoi Agent Seminar, Briefing and Welcome Function – 4 June
New Zealand Education Fair, Hanoi – 5 June
New Zealand Education Fair, Ho Chi Minh City – 6 June
Ho Chi Minh City Agent Seminar - 7 June
The Welcome Function on the evening of Friday 4 June will include a presentation ceremony for Vietnamese agents receiving their New Zealand Specialist Agent certificates.
To register for the fairs or for further information click HERE. Other online information includes the 2009 Final Report and the Market Profile for Vietnam, available HERE or contact Rahael.
New Zealand Education Fairs, Thailand, 10 – 15 June
The largest set of events on the PACE calendar in terms of industry participation, these three Fairs and networking functions provide plenty of opportunities for marketers to raise their profile, recruit students, and develop relationships with active agents and relevant education officials in this important market. Last year’s events recorded over 3,000 visitors keen to check out options for studying in New Zealand.
The dates for 2010 are:
Welcome Function & Briefing (Bangkok) – 10 June
Chiang Mai – 12 June
Bangkok – 13 June
Phuket – 15 June
To register and for further information click HERE. Other online information includes the 2009 Final Report and the Market Profile or contact Rahael.
EEIP Reminder
Just a reminder that ENZ is curently seeking expressions of interest from New Zealand resident educational product and service providers for round 11 of the Export Education Innovation Programme (EEIP).
The deadline is this Friday the 12th February. For more information please visit this LINK .
Secondary School Exchange Opportunity – Vietnam
A local high school in Vietnam is looking to work with an Auckland co-ed public high school to host a group of approximately 10 students, ranging in age from 12 to 18 for one month during June or July this year.
Schools that are interested in this opportunity should contact Laurette by Tuesday 16 February.
More Problems for Indian Students
The UK has taken the drastic action of announcing it will refuse all student visas from north India. This comes as the UK tries to stem what it sees as a potential flood of non bona-fide students landing on British soil.
The cessation of student visa applications extends to Bangladesh and Nepal, both notorious markets for fraud and visa abuse.
The three UK visa centres in north India have seen the numbers of student visa applications increase by thirteen times in the last two years.
"The measure is designed to protect genuine students, professional agents and good education providers from anyone who is not currently playing by the rules,” said British Deputy High Commissioner to India, Nigel Casey.
Meanwhile, in an obvious toughening of the Indian government's stance on continuing perceived crimes against Indians in Australia, the Ministry of External Affairs issued the second advisory in a month to Indians discouraging them from travelling to Australia to study. Combined with the sudden closure of the eight Australian GEOS language school campuses at the beginning of this month, the reputation of the industry is under tremendous pressure in Australia.
(via Not-So-Foreign and Earth Times)
Tough New UK Rules for Student Visas
The UK Home Office yesterday announced more new rules for those hoping to study in the country.
The Home Office would not confirm reports the changes may cut visas issued this year by tens of thousands.
A spokesman said a review of student visas had been ordered in November. In 2008/9, about 240,000 student visas were issued by the UK.
Last year the UK introduced a system requiring students wishing to enter the country to secure 40 points under its criteria. However, the government has faced criticism that this has allowed suspected terrorists and other would-be immigrants into the UK, only for them to stay on despite their visas being temporary.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, the home secretary denied the system had been lax before.
"By 2011, we will have the most sophisticated system in the world to check people not just coming into the country but to check they have left as well," he said.
He said the UK remains open to those foreign students who want to come to the UK for legitimate study.
"We are the second most popular location for people going into higher education," he said.
"We have to be careful that we are not damaging a major part of the UK economy, between £5bn and £8bn."
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas told the BBC's Politics Show 200 bogus colleges had been closed.
"Students have foreign national identity cards. We have the e-Border counting in and counting out," he said.
Under the measures, effective immediately:
- Successful applicants from outside the EU will have to speak English to a level only just below GCSE standard, rather than beginner level as at present
- Students taking courses below degree level will be allowed to work for only 10 hours a week, instead of 20 as at present
- Those on courses which last under six months will not be allowed to bring dependants into the country, while the dependants of students on courses below degree level will not be allowed to work
- Additionally, visas for courses below degree level with a work placement will also be granted only if the institutions they attend are on a new register, the Highly Trusted Sponsors List.
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said the student visa system had been the "biggest hole in our border controls for a decade".
"Ministers should be ending the situation where a student visa is a way of coming to the UK to stay, by banning the practice of moving from course to course in order to stay on and stopping overseas students from applying for work permits without going home first," he said.
(via BBC)Ireland Still Green with Envy
“Ireland has failed to exploit an opportunity that could have been as big as the software industry for us. It is hugely frustrating.” Gerry Muldowney, CEO of Dublin Business School, is in no doubt that Ireland has squandered a potential windfall.
The international student market is worth billions. A conservative estimate for the UK values the market at almost €12 billion. Australia claims similar earnings, while New Zealand, a country comparable to Ireland in terms of population and institutions draws in about €1.5 billion per annum.
It would be reasonable to assume that “Ireland of the welcomes” is holding its own in this market, but in fact their yearly earnings from international students come to just €900 million at the moment.
They are far behind and applications are dropping. Between 2007 and 2008, applications from India were down by 44 per cent. Chinese applications had fallen by almost 29 per cent. “We are facing a real emergency in this regard,” says Nicola Carroll, Head of the International Office in the National College of Ireland.
For many potential students, Ireland isn’t even on the radar. “There isn’t a great awareness of Ireland, in Asia especially,” says Prof Ciarán Ó Catháin, president of Athlone IT, an institution that has made attracting international students a key priority. “At the moment, the universities are branding themselves under the Irish Universities Association. We’re trying to brand ourselves under Institutes of Technology Ireland. We just don’t have the joined-up thinking necessary to give us a coherent approach.”
The problem doesn’t stop with a lack of awareness. Even if institutions manage to make themselves known and attract students, the process of entry into the country, should a student require a visa, is arduous.
A Chinese student, for example, can expect to wait approximately four weeks for a visa. If the same student applies to the UK, they will receive an answer within 48 hours. Irish study-visa applicants must supply vast amounts of information, and rejection rates are discouragingly high. In 2007, almost 40 per cent of Chinese students who applied for visas were rejected. In the same year, the UK rejected fewer than seven per cent of applicants. The situation in the Irish visa office in Beijing has improved in recent years, but still, more than a fifth of applicants referred from the Beijing visa office to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) in Dublin were rejected last year.
India has yet to be properly exploited by Ireland. It’s New Zealand’s fastest-growing market, with 6,040 students travelling there to study in 2008 – a figure which grew further last year. Just 2,640 Indian students are currently studying in Ireland – only 440 of whom are studying in higher-level institutions. A full 38 per cent of visa applications referred from New Dehli to INIS last year were rejected.
Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe has announced a number of measures aimed at remedying the situation. “There is recognition that this is something that Ireland has to be proactive about,” says Orla Battersby of Enterprise Ireland. Among the proposals set out are the establishment of a quality mark for English-language schools and higher-education colleges. Enterprise Ireland will be given responsibility for marketing and promoting the Education Ireland brand abroad.
In recognition of the need for a coordinated approach, the Minister has also set up a high- level group to drive the international education agenda. Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has also published proposals on the reform of the immigration situation for students. From now, it seems the departments will be cooperating closely.
(via The Irish Times)
E-news is a newsletter for the Export Education industry, compiled by Education New Zealand. You can access previous E-news newsletters on our website at www.educationnz.org.nz .
With Regards.
Education New Zealand
www.educationnz.org.nz