29 April 2022 at 9:30 am

Report from GHEDEX 2022

Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao was joined by Victoria University of Wellington, Waikato University, and New Zealand EdTech company Arabic Digital Reform Institute (ADRI) at the Global Higher Education Exhibition (GHEDEX) in Muscat, on 27-29 March 2022.

GHEDEX 2022 resized
ENZ’s Senior Advisor for the Middle East, Bronwyn Shanks, welcoming HH Sayyid Fahar bin Fatik al Said to the New Zealand pavilion at Ghedex.

This year saw a welcome return to an in-person event, attracting good numbers of students and international education stakeholders. ENZ showcased New Zealand as an education partner for Oman during the “Quality in Higher Education” conference that took place alongside GHEDEX. While in Muscat, ENZ also hosted an event for Omani alumni of New Zealand universities. Twenty-eight attended, from seven universities, providing a useful networking opportunity.

Officials at GHEDEX confirmed that as our border is reopening, New Zealand is included in the just-released Omani Ministry of Higher Education’s 2022/23 handbook for scholarships. Feedback from education agents suggests that fewer scholarship students overall are expected this year.

Dr Nadia Kasto, New Zealand Academic Advisor for the Omani Consulate-General in Melbourne confirmed that from next year, all Omani scholarship students will be able to make their own decisions about the country and university that best suit their study needs.

“All universities have to work very hard to promote themselves to Omani students in order to get as many students as they can.”

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