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  • Around the world in five

    INDIA

    Confusion reigns as GST hits education agents

    The overhaul of India's national tax code to a simplified Goods and Services Tax (GST) has led to confusion among education agents about the new law and its implementation. Agents fear their income will be badly hit as they are liable to a new 18 percent GST, and say passing on the extra cost to institutions may be the only option.

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    US

    Growth in international students seeking high school diplomas

    The number of international students who come to the US for a high school diploma has more than tripled between 2004 and 2016 to nearly 82,000, according to a new study. Among these students, there is a shift towards enrolling in US high schools directly to earn a diploma rather than entering short-term exchange programmes.

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    UK

    UK to adopt Chinese maths textbooks to improve test scores

    Students in the United Kingdom will be using textbooks almost identical to students in Shanghai from January 2018, in a bid to improve ailing mathematics test results. The UK government will implement the initiative whereby half of all primary school teachers will use the Real Shanghai Mathematics textbook series, with the option to implement the course’s 36 books into their curriculum.

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    JAPAN

    Regional universities a new focus of research excellence

    A Japanese government plan to set up world-class centres for research in regional universities hopes to strengthen its international competitiveness and narrow the divide between Japan’s elite research institutions and regional universities.

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    AUSTRALIA

    18 percent growth in economic value of int’l education hides future worries

    The value of Australian international education has surpassed record levels for the fourth consecutive financial year, growing by over 18.5 percent in 2016/17, according to the latest export data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. But despite the overall growth, some within the industry warned the figures, which only detail the economic impact to the whole of Australia, could be hiding state and sector-level problems.

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  • Tai Tokerau Northland welcomes new strategy

    Tertiary Education Minister Paul Goldsmith launched the strategy alongside some 90 Northland representatives as well as students from Whangarei’s Chinese sister city of Haikou.

    The 10-year strategy aim is to create a sense of belonging and wellbeing for Northland’s international students, while outlining specific and sustainable growth targets. This includes boosting international secondary student numbers to 400, primary and intermediate school enrolments to 200 and tripling the economic value of international education to the region to $30 million.

    Greg Scott, ENZ General Manager, Industry Development, said the strategy emphasises the region’s unique value proposition for students.

    “As the Minister said, many international students value the opportunity to experience tikanga Māori and te reo in an authentic setting. Northland delivers a uniquely New Zealand experience.”

    Northland has now joined ENZ’s Regional Partnership Programme, which will help to further the potential of the strategy via partnerships with Northland Inc., Northland communities and education providers. 

    Northland Inc Chief Executive Officer David Wilson said international education offers many cultural, social and economic opportunities for the region.

    “International education is not only an export earner for Northland – it is also a way for our youth to gain exposure to different cultures, connections and opportunities,” said David.

    The Tai Tokerau Northland International Education Strategy is available here.

    Students from Haikou, Whangarei's Sister City.

    Students from Haikou, Whangarei's Sister City, pose for a photo with Chinese Counsel General Madam Xu Erwen.

    Photos courtesy of Rabea Pein.

  • Chinese and Kiwi students team up for tech innovation

    Twenty six secondary school students from Sichuan Province, China, and 15 students from Avonside Girls’ High School and Shirley Boys’ High School participated in the Canterbury Sichuan Innovation & Technology Youth Summit, held in the city’s Innovation Precinct earlier this month.

    Christchurch Educated partnered with the Ministry of Awesome to deliver the five-day programme that included workshops on teamwork and pitching, visits to central city innovation zones and talks from young, local entrepreneurs. 

    The students worked in teams to develop a tech solution for a problem they identified relating to food, language and culture, transport or city. Solutions included a ‘smart’ rubbish disposal system for dirty cities, an app that uses music to teach new languages, and augmented reality glasses that allow users to interact with people from another country and practise communicating before they visit. 

    On the final day, participants pitched their solution to a panel of experts from the tech industry who awarded prizes for the most innovative solution, best teamwork and best pitch. 

    One of the judges, Helen Shorthouse, Technology Sector Leader, ChristchurchNZ, said by working in teams the students had quickly developed cross-cultural understanding. 

    “It was really impressive the way they took common problems facing both New Zealand and China and developed innovative tech solutions that could be applied in both countries.”

    A number of young entrepreneurs from Christchurch start-ups including ShareaCamper, Smish, FluentIQ, EVNEX and the Christchurch City Council’s ‘Are you Alright?’ campaign shared their experiences and helped participants prepare for their pitches.

    The event comes out of the Canterbury-Sichuan relationship that has been in development since an MoU was signed with the Sichuan Provincial Government in 2013.

    Karen Haigh, ChristchurchNZ Market Project Manager, International Education, said this is the first time the event has been held in Christchurch but there are plans to continue it. 

    “We foresee the programme being run on an annual basis with Chinese partners, and also offered to other markets such as Korea and Viet Nam. 

    “We hope it will attract more students with an interest in IT to Christchurch, while showcasing the innovation and tech opportunities here.”

  • Indian scholars awarded at Auckland summit

    The awardees are Indian students currently studying at New Zealand universities in the fields of business, design and STEM-related programmes (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).  

    Some 19 of the total 31 recipients were honoured in person by Tertiary Education Minister Paul Goldsmith at the India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC) Edutech Summit 2017 on 4 August. 

    They are recipients of the first round of the NZEA awards, which offers each recipient a scholarship of NZ$5,000 towards their first year tuition fees. 

    Speaking at the summit, ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson said the students were important to New Zealand’s broader relationship with India. 

    “These top young scholars will further strengthen ties between our two countries by contributing to a broader exchange of ideas in our universities, building our respective research capabilities, and enriching New Zealand culture.”   

    The summit featured industry heads and policy makers from both countries. Speakers included New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English, Ambarish Datta, Managing Director and CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute and Mohandas Pai, Chairperson of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry from India. 

    The 2018 round of NZEA will go live on the Study in New Zealand website on 1 September 2017, with applications closing 15 November 2017. 

    NZEA is the first joint scholarship scheme between Education New Zealand and all eight New Zealand universities for a specific country.

  • NZIEC 2017 to be biggest ever

    More than 700 delegates, presenters, exhibitors and sponsors will descend on SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland to connect and discuss significant issues and opportunities for our industry.

    “The fact that more than 700 delegates are participating this year is a ringing endorsement of the health of the industry,” says ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson.

    “We’ve invested in NZIEC as a key initiative to bring all parts of our industry together to connect, exchange ideas and develop new ventures. This year’s theme is leadership, and we’re looking forward to two days of great presentations and stimulating discussions to drive the next phase of the industry’s development.”

    This year’s conference boasts an amazing range of conference partners and exhibitors. Lead Partner BPO Intelligence will be showcasing its print and digital offerings for every stage of the international student lifecycle.

    ENZ is delighted to welcome Vodafone New Zealand as Premium Partner. Vodafone is offering connectivity packages for international students that includes bonus data and calling offers as well as a greeting and transition service.

    ENZ is also pleased to welcome the following partners to conference:

    • Endeavour Education Services Ltd offers a range of services for institutions both seeking to undertake international recruitment and international students' work preparedness.
    • IDP IELTS Australia joins NZIEC this year. It offers IELTS testing in more than 50 countries around the world, including 16 locations in New Zealand.

    The PIE News returns as our official media partner, ISANA New Zealand joins us as programme partner, and we also welcome Ako Aotearoa, the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence. 

    But wait, there’s more! This year’s Expo Hall will feature a record 25 exhibitors. For a full list of exhibitors, check out the conference app or website.

    We look forward to seeing you at the international education event of the year!

    Registration closed

    While we are unable to accept any new registrations, you can still follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #NZIEC.  

  • NZIEC challenge speaker urges educators to embrace global citizenship

    Scarlett said global citizenship is thinking more widely than just the context of your immediate community, city or country and being a person who understands the rights and responsibilities as a true citizen of the world.

    Last year, Scarlett was funded by the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO to travel to Canada with other young people to write the International Youth White Paper on Global Citizenship and present it at the Third UNESCO Forum for Global Citizenship Education.

    The experience made her think through more complex global issues and work with young people coming from different places and perspectives.

    “I care so much about this because I believe it is the best way to make the world a better place,” Scarlett said.

    While it is not simple for people to become global citizens, as there is no quick fix to complex world problems, students often feel helpless and become disengaged.

    This is where educators can help by being the bridge between students and global citizenship, by teaching students to understand diversity and think critically, she said.

    “Your global citizenship can’t just live through young people, you need to put it into action in your own lives."

    Scarlett said not only do today’s educators need to actively engage young people from a variety of backgrounds and empower and upskill students to be prepared for the world’s complexity, educators also need to hold themselves accountable and take action on global citizenship now, to shape the future for the next generation. 

  • Leading an International Education Quest! - Dr Jason Fox

    This was the challenge Dr Jason Fox, a modern day wizard-rogue, author and leadership adviser set NZIEC conference attendees.

    Using self-deprecating humour, and drawing on real life examples, Dr Fox challenged the audience to look at the patterns in their lives, to effect meaningful change.

    Many of us are time-poor, which Dr Fox said causes us to ‘leverage our default thinking’. That is to do what we have always done. The concern is that we use default thinking 98 percent of the time. This is “robbing us of our best thinking.”

    Defaults — established ways of doing things — are an important element of any enterprise. We need them — they save us a heap of time, and make us much more efficient.

    But lo! Dr Fox said most organisations have now become cursed with efficiency and default thinking.

    “We’re all so busy, and so what happens is… more of the same. We seek quick fixes and familiar solutions that tick the right boxes and save us time — but in doing so lead us closer down the path toward irrelevance.

    To stay relevant, we must know when (and how) to disrupt default thinking, so that we may pioneer new strategy (beyond the established path).”

    Conferences give us a rich opportunity to disrupt default thinking. He said new thinking is the most valuable thinking in a world that is undergoing profound social and technological disruption.

    Dr Fox said if you ask workers in an organisation what it is that motivates them best, the most common response was “a clear sense of progress.” This underlines the importance of celebrating small / early wins.

    In closing, Dr Fox talked about the things we do to put off meaningful thinking – procrastination, perfectionism, busyness, disorganisation, physiological sabotage, over-commitment and more.

    To conclude, Dr Fox challenged his audience, saying “we all make choices and our choices make us.”

     

  • The future of international student recruitment from China

    Speaking as one of the NZIEC’s keynote speakers, President Zhou Chenggang explained that there is an emerging trend of parents with younger children wanting to give them the advantage of an international education and New Zealand should harness this opportunity.

    Mr Zhou said Chinese parents make careful, rational decisions about where their younger children should study, planning one to two years in advance. With the current world climate, he suggested that New Zealand institutions should highlight not only the high quality education their children will receive, but also the fact that New Zealand is a safe and welcoming country.

    Mr Zhou also said New Zealand should highlight our vocational offerings, which were less well known in China and having more choices would also appeal to Chinese parents.

    According to Mr Zhou, having clear, straight-forward application processes and building relationships with more Chinese colleges will benefit.

    “China will keep encouraging our kids to learn from the West. So many institutions in China are eager to work with colleges but don’t know where to go or who to talk to.”

    More than 38,000 Chinese students studied in New Zealand in 2016. This was a 13% increase in total enrolments from 2015. 

  • Journey to transformational student experience

    The session, presented by ENZ Director, Student Experience, Hayley Shields, and Study Auckland International Education Manager Henry Matthews, reinforced how students are at the core of our initiatives.

    Hayley said that in true manaakitanga spirit, if we want to host, care for and respect our international students, we need to design programmes that are student centred.

    “We are providing a good student experience, but how can move from good to great? The answer is to ask our students and to have them co-design initiatives with us.”

    To reinforce the point that students are at the core of our work, James Koo and Will Kim from Niesh (a student-services start-up business serving hundreds of students a week) spoke about the brand new partnership between Niesh, ATEED and ENZ to design a solution that assists international student with global employability.

    Neish’s philosophy is never to charge students for anything, and is one of those exciting approaches that happen if you ask students to design solutions for students.

     “The audience resonated with the premise that focusing on the student experience can set us apart from our competitors."

    The theme of student experience was prominent at NZIEC 2017.

    “The New Zealand student experience was argued as a competitive advantage in the NZIEC Kiwis versus Aussies debate, and Roger McElwain from the University of Otago’s Language Centre and Foundation Year provided a great student experience soundbite in the NZIEC wrap-up video.

    “There were also a number of student panels, a session on the International Student Wellbeing Strategy and a comprehensive student experience breakout programme developed by ISANA, meant the mission to put the student experience at the centre at NZIEC was well accomplished.”

  • NZIEC 2018 to be held in Wellington

    That’s right, we’re heading to the Coolest Little Capital in the World, Wellington! 

    NZIEC 2018 will be held at our national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 August next year. We hope to see you there.

    The nature of our venue next year means we’ll be changing our standard programme structure to allow more time for delegate movement around the venue between sessions. This affords us the opportunity to Think New about how we structure our conference.

    If you have any suggestions for what you’d like to see at NZIEC 2018, please email Sam Mackay, ENZ Strategic Projects Manager, at sam.mackay@enz.govt.nz. We warmly welcome suggestions for speakers, topics, session formats – and more!

    We’ll be announcing the theme of next year’s conference in November when we launch our Call for Presenters. If you’re interested in presenting at next year’s conference, please don’t hesitate to drop Sam a line and we’ll add you to the mailing list.

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