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Diwali celebrations light up New Zealand campuses
It was a wonderful week of Diwali across New Zealand campuses as students and education institutions came together to celebrate the festival of lights.
AUT lights up for Diwali
The sights, sounds and colours of Diwali were on full display at AUT’s recent Diwali Festival.
With the largest cohort of international students from India in New Zealand, AUT’s Diwali Festival celebrated the incredible contribution Indian students make to life at AUT.
Pro Vice-Chancellor International, Professor Guy Littlefair, said the event enriches their campus culture and showcases the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“Our incredible Diwali event was a wonderful opportunity for our entire university to celebrate our Indian students and the richness and joy of Indian culture,” Professor Littlefair said.
“We are proud of our growing reputation throughout India for our wide range and quality of study programmes, for being the university of technology in New Zealand, and for our great student support, accessibility to academic staff, employability, and student success.
“India is an extraordinarily important partner country to us, but more importantly our Indian students are an extremely valued part of our AUT family and the unique perspective and rich culture they bring to us are treasured by all our staff and students.”
Students lead Diwali celebrations at Wintec | Te Pūkenga
Diwali 2023 performers, organisers, volunteers, and audience all enjoyed the celebrations at Wintec | Te Pūkenga City Campus, including International Student Services Advisors, Unmesha Veetil (far left) and Li Li (front row with orange sari).
This year, the Diwali celebrations at Wintec | Te Pūkenga City and Rotokauri campuses were completely ākonga (student)-led, making them even more special than usual. Although facilitated by the International Student Support team, the events were entirely hosted by ākonga, from the MCs to all the entertainment.
Unmesha Veetil, International Student Services Advisor, said the events were vibrant and high energy and a real testament to the students.
“The MCs did a great job of engaging the audience and getting them singing along, the dance performances and magic tricks were stunning and there were even talented students doing henna designs. On the request of the audience there was a final open dance floor which got many from the audience dancing too and proved lots of fun.”
A crowd enjoying a Diwali dance performance at Wintec | Te Pūkenga
The true spirit of the festival was also on full display as a diverse, multicultural communities organised the festivities with much generosity and kaitiakitanga.
Members of the Chinese Postgraduate Society who volunteered as ecowarriors for the Auckland Diwali Festival.
The Chinese Postgraduate Society volunteered for the Auckland Diwali Festival as eco warriors, helping make the celebration as eco-friendly as possible.
“It was a great experience for us to immerse in a different culture and make valuable contributions,” Wilson Pan, President of the Chinese Postgraduate Society said. -
Around the world in five
FINLAND
University World News: What makes international students want to stay on or go?
Three-quarters of bachelor degree graduates and two-thirds of masters and doctoral graduates live on in Finland for three or more years after their degree, according to new research.
NEW ZEALAND
Checkpoint: Education NZ chair details exemptions for foreign PhD students
Interview with Education New Zealand Chair Steve Maharey. "They can come from any country as long as they are involved in PhD study, or they are Masters students."
GLOBAL
University World News: Combating discrimination against international students
Our findings outline disturbing trends in discrimination and racism that must be dealt with urgently by universities in the immediate aftermath of COVID and in the longer term. While this list is certainly not exhaustive, we provide the following suggestions for ongoing social support for and inclusion of international students
UNITED STATES
The PIE News: “Perceived barriers” driving prospective students away from US
While the US higher education community has overcome many of the political and Covid-19 related challenges facing the international education sector, a great deal of “perceived” barriers remain for prospective students considering the US, which could be detrimental for recruitment efforts in the future.
JAPAN
Japan eases restrictions for international travellers, including students
Japan is opening its borders again to international students with visas for longer-term studies. The number of daily arrivals is limited for the time being with greater emphasis given to key sending markets in Asia.
- Final ENZ Chair speech to plenary session 17 Aug 23
- NZIEC v4
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Around the world in five
MEXICO
All high school graduates expected to be proficient in English within 20 years
The federal Education Secretariat (SEP) has announced a US $44.5 million National English Strategy to produce high school graduates proficient in English in 20 years’ time. Calling English an “essential tool that facilitates dialogue in an increasingly interconnected world,” the SEP is promoting English for Mexican students from preschool to high school, and is signing collaboration agreements with international institutions.
INDIA
Students from India, Middle East not comfortable studying in US
A recent study from the Institute of International Education (IIE) shows that students from India and Middle Eastern nations are not ‘comfortable’ enrolling for courses in American universities. The IIE found that that 80 per cent of Indian students were concerned with physical safety while 31 per cent were concerned about feeling welcome in the US.
GLOBAL
Ten trends transforming international student mobility
Even as the immediate environment feels increasingly volatile, the underlying forces determining the direction of international education are becoming more defined than before. The impact of English goes without saying, as university curriculums taught in English continue to grow. There are less obvious factors at play too, such as the redefinition of brand and value – the realisation that skills and abilities mean more than a fancy diploma at a “branded” university is changing the playing field.
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia to introduce physical education for schoolgirls
Saudi public schools will begin offering physical education for girls in the coming academic year. Physical education has not been offered in most public schools, but in recent years the Saudi government has begun introducing gradual reforms to open new opportunities for women and expand their participation in the labour force.
JAPAN
Japanese high schools saw record number of international students in 2015
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, a record-high 2,147 students from overseas studied at Japanese high schools in 2015. The number of Japanese students who studied abroad also rose to 4,197. Among the students going abroad, the U.S. was the most popular destination with 1,245 students studying there, followed by New Zealand with 833, Canada with 791, Australia with 515 and Britain with 131.
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South America webinars a success
Last week, the ENZ South America team organised the first New Zealand Regional Webinars Marathon for education agents in South America, sharing information about education, tourism, economy and local industries from around New Zealand.
The webinars were presented by representatives from regional organisations and hosted by ENZ. Javiera Visedo, ENZ’s Senior Market Development Manager Colombia and Chile said webinars are an effective and low cost marketing tool that allows them to provide training for agents without moving from their desks.
“Agents are not able to attend all the education fairs, which can also be a big piece of work for our team. The webinars are a great way to solve both those issues, and allows us to connect with agents across the region without having to hold an in-person event,” said Javiera.
“In a large region like ours, we need to be creative!”
The sessions focussed on cities such as Dunedin, Wellington, Rotorua, Christchurch and Queenstown, presented by regional representatives Margo Reid of Study Dunedin, Christine Pugh of Grow Wellington, Meri Gibson of Rotorua Education, Karen Haigh of Christchurch Educated and Aaron Halstead of Study Queenstown.
The South American team said the webinars were a great success with more than 1,000 registrations and nearly 650 attendances - an average of 130 agents per session.
The majority of participants were from Brazil and Colombia, the largest markets in the region, though agents from Argentina, Peru and Ecuador also took part, reflecting a large interest in New Zealand education from the region.
- E-News-October-2021
- Flexible Working Policy
- India 2
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New Zealand-China Early Childhood Education Symposium to be hosted in New Zealand for the first time
The fifth annual New Zealand-China Early Childhood Education Symposium – themed around digital transformation in early childhood education – is set to take place at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) in Christchurch on 3 December.
This is the first time that the symposium will be hosted in New Zealand.
A 31-strong delegation from China across 21 universities, schools, kindergartens and government agencies will attend the event.
Co-organised by Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange (CCIPE) of the China Ministry of Education and UC, the symposium will see at least 25 presenters and 80 attendees from New Zealand and China present on a range of topics related to digital transformation in early childhood education. Audiences in New Zealand and China will also attend the symposium virtually.
Broad topics this year include emerging opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in teachers’ work in early childhood education, the use of digital technologies for early childhood education assessment, and digital transformation for communication and collaboration with families.
The event aims to foster academic exchanges and cooperation in early childhood education between New Zealand and China.
In June, during the visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Education Minister Huai Jinpeng to New Zealand, UC signed a partnership agreement with the CCIPE at the New Zealand-China High-level Education Forum in Auckland. UC is also a current New Zealand-China Tripartite Partnership Programme recipient with two Chinese partners, Shanghai Normal University and Qufu Normal University, around early childhood education.
ENZ Acting General Manager International Ben Burrowes said the symposium highlights the long and fruitful bilateral engagement between New Zealand and China across a number of education areas.
“I am delighted to have New Zealand host the event for the first time. We have seen the symposium grow and go from strength to strength over the last five years and nurture relationships between our early childhood education providers.
“I look forward to hearing from presenters across the education landscape in both our countries sharing insights on digital transformation in early childhood education,” Burrowes said.
The University of Canterbury is honored to be the first tertiary institution in New Zealand to host the symposium, says Professor Joce Nuttall, Executive Dean of UC’s Faculty of Education Te Kaupeka Ako.
“As a university committed to future-focused education and the creation of meaningful local and global impact, the symposium is an invaluable opportunity for UC to engage in discussions with peers across New Zealand and China on the future of early childhood education between our two countries.”
Since 2020, the New Zealand-China Education Symposium has explored a rich range of themes and inspirational presentations on early childhood education, including exploring best practice for developing high-quality early childhood education teachers, and sustainable development in early childhood education and care.
For further information:
Justin Barnett | Director of Communications, Education New Zealand
+64 21 875 132
