13 March 2019 at 9:00 am
New Zealand-Viet Nam education ties deepen
A total of 36 talented Vietnamese students will shortly travel to New Zealand as part of a new scholarship programme – the New Zealand Schools Scholarships (NZSS).
This is the first New Zealand Government scholarship programme offered exclusively to Vietnamese secondary school students.
“A total of 36 New Zealand schools from nine regions are taking part in the scholarship initiative,” said ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson.
“We expect the programme will build partnerships and profile for New Zealand education across Viet Nam.
“The way we’ve tailored the scholarships to involve multiple regions across New Zealand also reflects a government commitment to ensuring the benefits of international education are shared widely.”
Among the 36 scholarships are 11 He Tohu Awhero (Ambition) scholarships supporting 30% of the tuition fees for the first year of study, and 25 He Tohu Hiranga (Excellence) scholarships supporting 50% of the tuition fees for the first year of study. One outstanding student recipient of the He Tohu Hiranga scholarship will be offered 100% of tuition fees for the first year of study.
Later this month, 35 of the New Zealand schools taking part in the initiative will visit schools in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to promote the scholarship and explore further collaborations.
Entries for the scholarships opened 1 March and the Vietnamese students will begin their study in Term 3, starting 22 July 2019.
Alongside the scholarship initiative, ENZ has also signed a Collaboration Arrangement with Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the aim of which is to deepen the education relationship between New Zealand and Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Viet Nam with 13 million people in the metropolitan area.
“As part of this MoU, we will be exploring a range of partnership opportunities which includes the opportunity for New Zealand teachers and students to have an international education experience in Viet Nam,” said Grant.
“New Zealanders have a lot to gain from exposure to other cultures – language learning, for example. These experiences also expose our students and teachers to new possibilities.”
The Collaborative Arrangement and scholarship programme are part of a broader work programme being driven by ENZ.
Vietnamese school students studying in New Zealand contribute an estimated NZD $21m to our economy (2017 figures released in 2018).
