28 March 2013 at 9:00 am

Chile announces 500 more ‘penguins’

It was announced by Chile’s Economy, Development and Tourism Minister that New Zealand would receive a further 500 students this year and next.

newpenguins
Pingüinos group with Minister Longueria at Macleans School, Bucklands Beach, Auckland this week

In the last edition of International Education News we reported that Chile’s Economy, Development and Tourism Minister, Pablo Longueira, had announced that the pilot scheme for the ‘Penguins without Borders’ scholarship programme that brought 40 Chilean students to New Zealand in January, would be widened to 100 for terms three and four of this year.

Things have progressed since then, with Minister Longueira announcing during his current visit to New Zealand that 500 more ‘penguins’ (so called, due to their distinctive black and white uniforms) are coming to New Zealand.  The first group of 250 ‘penguins’ arrives in July to live and study in towns and cities around New Zealand for two semesters. A further 250 will arrive in January 2014.

New Zealand was the only country chosen to pilot the scholarship programme, but this announcement may help secure New Zealand’s place as a regular destination for these high-achieving students.

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