We just talk about the good stuff

The Canadian government needs to find a permanent solution to international student deportations, a letter sent from NGOs to Canada’s minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship has said.

The letter was signed by some 19 migrant Justice organisations and South Asian diaspora groups from across Canada.

Signatories of the letter called for a “definite stop” to the deportations and said the students should not have to bear the burden of proof because of fraud committed by consultants and recruiters.

“The burden of proof should not be on the students, the victims of the fraud,” the signatories said.

“Receiving deportation orders and the precarity of having to live with a constant threat of being separated from their families and uprooted from their communities and the associated struggle and turmoil is a painful process and is punishment in itself.”

Earlier this year, it was reported that students were were being investigated for misrepresentation after their recruitment agents used fake college acceptance letters to obtain study permits.

From May 28, students, their supporters and community members had set up a permanent protest in front of the CBSA headquarters in Mississauga – arguing they had no knowledge of the practice and had been scammed by education recruiters.

On June 14, Sean Fraser, Canada’s minister for IRCC said that international students who were genuine victims in a fraud involving fake post-secondary education letters of acceptance would not face deportation. Two individuals who allegedly posed as fake education agents and provided fraudulent documents have been arrested.

He also announced that a task force of officials has been created which will work with the Canada Border Services Agency to identify exactly who was a victim of fraud. Those deemed not to be genuine students will still face deportation.

However, there are concerns around how this task force will operate and that genuine students could slip through the net.

“The demands that the students are calling for are not only a stop to the deportations, but also real solutions,” Sarom Rho, an organiser at the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, told The PIE News.

“The announcement that minister Fraser made is a step forward, but there’s still much that needs to be done.”

Rho noted that many of the students have already been deemed inadmissible or are currently undergoing admissibility hearings.

“Only those who are found to have been ‘genuine applicants’ are told that they will get temporary resident permits, which means their deportations will be halted, even beyond the eight weeks, and they’re not going to be subject to the inadmissibility charges.

“But that is only for those who are deemed to be ‘genuine applicants’, and only for those who have already been deemed inadmissible.”

Rho said that some students have their inadmissibility hearings underway and haven’t yet got a decision are being told they won’t be going through the task force.

“This is one of the big concerns that students have. What we are calling for is that any student who has been tricked by these unregulated recruiters should be able to self-identify and receive a temporary resident permit.”

Rho also explained that the numbers of students affected is still unclear and there may be some who have not yet come forward.

Clear communication 

Rho said communication about how the task force will function is key.

“From what minister Fraser announced on June 14, it was those who have pending deportation orders, which means that likely they have already gone through the hearings and are deemed inadmissible,” she said.

“What the students are asking for is clear communication. About how this task force is going to operate, and who the onus is going to fall on to.

“The students are saying we need to reverse the onus, and in fact it should be the task force or the federal government having to prove that these students did wrong.”

In relation to the task force, Rho said her organisation is echoing the recommendations from the students, to completely waive and revoke inadmissibility, as well as urging the task force to implement a “fair process that seeks to support students and is fair and not vindictive, by allowing all those who are impacted to self identify and receive temporary resident permits”.

“We are also proposing the creation of an international students regulatory regime. Because this case of the students right now is extremely alarming but it is not a standalone case,” Rho said.

“There are going to be more of these situations because there is a proliferation of colleges and universities and Canada working with education recruiters but there is no regulation.”

An IRCC spokesperson told The PIE that if the facts of an individual case are clear that an international student came to Canada with a genuine intent to study, and without knowledge of the use of fraudulent documentation, the Minister has provided instructions for officers to issue a Temporary Resident Permit to that individual.

“This will ensure that these well-intentioned students and graduates can remain in Canada, and ensure that they are not subject to the five-year ban from re-entering Canada that normally follows in cases of misrepresentation,” the spokesperson said.

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International education stakeholders working to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across the sector have decried a decision by the Supreme Court in the US to end affirmative action.

The ruling, with six conservative justices on the highest court in the country outvoting the three liberal justices, means a change to race-conscious admissions programs in the US.

Chief Justice John Roberts ruled that Harvard University’s and University of North Carolina’s admissions programs violate the US constitution, by “unavoidably [employing] race in a negative manner” and that they involve “racial stereotyping”.

President Biden has criticised the decision as has the democrat leader in the US Senate Chuck Schumer.

Schumer said it has “put a giant roadblock in our country’s march toward racial justice”, adding that students of colour will have fewer opportunities from next year.

Republican speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy said that students will now “be able to compete based on equal standards and individual merit”, in an admissions process that is “fairer”.

Diversity Abroad said the decision will have “significant implications” for efforts to diversify education abroad, attract international students to the US, in addition to creating inclusive learning environments.

The Institute of International Education noted that since its inception in 1919, it has advocated for access and equity in higher education to provide global learning opportunities for all and that it will “continue to do so”.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access is “critically important” to engaging thoughtfully with the world and remain deeply committed to these principles, it said.

The IIE Center for Access and Equity was created to remove barriers and enrich and expand international education, exchange and opportunity.

“There is a direct correlation between higher education and economic and social mobility for both individuals and societies”

“We know that there is a direct correlation between higher education and economic and social mobility for both individuals and societies,” the non-profit noted. It reminded that certain groups – including students of colour, first-generation college students, students with disabilities, and students with limited financial means – have been historically underrepresented in international exchange.

“We will continue to work with our partners to deliver excellence through our programs, research, and services, and will continue to infuse DEIA measures in our strategic priorities,” IIE said.

American Association of Colleges and Universities said prohibiting consideration of race in college admissions “results in sharp declines in the enrolment of students from historically underrepresented groups”.

It pointed to evidence from nine states – Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Washington – where race-based affirmative action had already been prohibited at public institutions.

Previous analysis by Diversity Abroad indicated that lower enrolment rates for racially minoritised students will likely “reduce the pool of prospective students from such backgrounds applying to and ultimately participating in education abroad programming”.

Advancements in developing inclusive campuses may slow, hiring diverse faculty and staff could get harder and selective schools will feel an “outsized impact”, it also warned.

NAFSA CEO and executive director Fanta Aw wrote on Linked In that the sector must “focus on opportunities and outcomes to level the playing field”.

“As an educator whose professional and personal work is at the intersection of student success and outcome, diversity, equity and inclusion and international education, I have witnessed all too well over my time in higher education our failures, opportunities, and threats,” she said.

“Institutions of higher education historically and still today have been built with specific people in mind…

“We must deal with the root causes, because band aid solutions rarely lead to the sustained change we know is needed in our educational systems and society overall.”

The decision “should be of concern for all who are committed to advancing inclusive student success through equitable access to global education opportunities”, founder and CEO of Diversity Abroad, Andrew Gordon, wrote in The PIE.

For study abroad, the percentage of students studying abroad from racially diverse backgrounds was “stubbornly low” even before the Supreme Court’s decision.

“This decision should be a call to action for those who are committed to inclusive student success to double down in efforts to expand access to and support in global education,” he said.

Association of American Universities president Barbara R. Snyder said the decision was deeply disappointing, but that it does not change higher education institutions’ responsibility “to provide the best possible learning environment for students and to prepare students for participation in an increasingly diverse workforce and interconnected society”.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities also condemned the decision, with president and CEO Antonio R. Flores saying it “perpetuates the inequities in educational opportunities for Hispanics and other underserved groups”.

Not all higher education institutions were critical of the decision.

Donald Sweeting, chancellor of Colorado Christian University, said that current practices “advantage some people at the expense of others on the basis of race, which is a violation of the equal protection clause”.

“Racial diversity is good, but so is the affirmation of high standards and academic excellence… Universities will no doubt encourage racial diversity in other ways,” he added.

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While it may not be a clear connection to some, yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to essentially eliminate affirmative action – specifically race conscious admissions – should be of concern for all who are committed to advancing inclusive student success through equitable access to global education opportunities.

In Diversity Abroad’s analysis earlier this month, we highlighted several areas of concern:

• A significant number of the institutions that send the most students to study abroad are also on the list of the most selective colleges & universities, the very institutions that will be most impacted by the AA decision
• Based on past bans on AA in California and Michigan, the number of Black and Latino students and selective campus will significantly drop, hence decreasing the population of available students from these backgrounds to study abroad
• These may be challenges to use of race in awarding study abroad scholarships. In one study, Diversity Abroad found that 90% of students of color cited finances as the key barrier to study abroad participation
• As campuses aim to diversify population of international student, recruitment approaches that take race into consideration may run afoul of the new precedent set by Supreme Court of the United States

Specifically in study abroad, even prior to the decision, the percentage of students studying abroad from racial diverse backgrounds was stubbornly low. For African American students, it has dropped.

This decision should be a call to action for those who are committed to inclusive student success to double down in efforts to expand access to and support in global education.

About the author: Andrew Gordon is founder and CEO of Diversity Abroad. Founded in 2006, Diversity Abroad’s mission is to create equitable access to the benefits of global education by empowering educators, engaging stakeholders, and connecting diverse students to resources and opportunity.

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New Zealand’s government has allocated an additional NZ$128 million (USD $78 million) in funding to universities as international enrolments remain below pre-covid levels.  

The money, which will increase domestic tuition fee subsidies, is in addition to the 5% funding increase announced in the 2023 budget. 

The government will also launch a review of the country’s higher education funding system. 

Education minister Jan Tinetti said the decision had been made as tertiary institutions were experiencing “unexpectedly large” declines in domestic enrolments and increased cost pressures, as well as below-covid level international enrolments. 

“The government has heard the concerns of the sector,” Tinetti said. “When we began our budget process universities and other degree providers were forecasting enrolment increases. The opposite has occurred, and it is clear that there is a need for additional support.”

Sector body Universities New Zealand welcomed the announcement with chief executive Chris Whelan describing the move as “extraordinarily helpful”. However he warned that it “won’t solve all our problems”.

“It will reduce or even remove the need for some of the more significant cuts that universities have been forced to consider,” Whelan said. 

“International numbers vary significantly between universities”

Earlier this year, New Zealand’s institutions reported mixed recovery following the country’s borders reopening in July 2022. At the beginning of March 2023 there were nearly 34,000 international student visa holders in the country, compared to 125,000 in 2018. 

“International numbers vary significantly between universities,” Whelan told The PIE News. “Some kept their student numbers at pre-covid levels throughout the period when borders were closed by teaching them online and promising to get them to New Zealand when borders reopened.  

“Other universities were not as well placed to deliver online and stopped taking new students,” he added. “These universities will take time to rebuild pipelines and they are the universities particularly affected by the financial pressures that the sector is navigating.”

Grant McPherson, CEO of Education New Zealand, said in May that recovery was “variable at best” across the education sector. 

“Budgets are tight,” he wrote in a statement. “We need to focus our limited resources to where they have the greatest impact, and we need to be aligned as one with the sector.” 

Universities New Zealand also welcomed the review of the higher education funding system, noting that fees and subsidies since 1991 had increased at around half the rate of inflation. 

“That was survivable when the proportion of young people going to university was growing,” said Whelan. “But that’s no longer the case and the funding system is increasingly forcing universities to invest in keeping the lights on.”

Institutions including the Victoria University of Wellington and Otago University had previously proposed staff cuts to cope with financial deficits.

In an open letter, the vice-chancellors of both institutions said that “chronic underfunding” was “increasingly threatening” the stability of universities. They said that universities need to be funded in line with inflation. 

Whelan called for a funding system that “allows universities to better meet the needs of this country now and for the future”.

“That means a system that supports more equitable access to university for people traditionally underrepresented at university,” he added. “That means ways of teaching and curriculum that better meets the needs of both graduates and their employers.”

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If you could spend five minutes with anyone from the international education sector, who would it be and what would you ask them? Introducing The PIE’s latest series, Five Minutes With… where we speak to leaders from across the sector and ask them all the big questions

Monica Ingarevalo has certainly been here, there and everywhere. Having lived in the UK and her native Ecuador, she concurrently leads education agency Formare, sending students to the UK, as well as being a consistent peace advocate and hosting “Modo Paz”, a peace-based radio show in Guayaquil. 

What do you like most about your job(s)? 

I love that I’m consistently working toward peace. And I believe that education, especially international education, can provide peace to the world and I also believe that the UK can provide that through its education. 

What’s a defining moment in your career?

Well it’s where the seed was planted, I had the opportunity to study abroad. Being from Ecuador, going to Africa to study abroad completely changed my mindset. Even though there are parts of South America and Africa where poverty is an issue, it still reminded me of how lucky I am.

Best work trip? 

There was one time I had the opportunity to go around all the different regions of the UK. You always just tend to go to London or the surrounding areas, but seeing the whole country was so interesting. It was a business road trip; so we got on a bus with a delegation of Latin Americans – officers from different embassies – and then we saw so many different places. That was fun. I really enjoyed Belfast, in particular. 

If you had a magic wand, what would you change? 

I think I would add a bit more empathy to people and extra compassion. I’d try and get people to walk a mile in another’s shoes, especially in this industry, to really see what people go through to achieve their dreams.

How did you find yourself working in international education? 

Well, studying abroad provides students with this very important tool – connection. If you have the opportunity to study abroad, like I did, to learn other languages, other cultures. Not everybody in the world has that opportunity. I was the third generation from Ecuador in my family to study abroad, so I thought, why not? Why would I not give the community around me that opportunity? I worked in the embassy first, then moved on to be an international officer at an English university. And now I run my own agency.

“Studying abroad provides students with this very important tool – connection”

Champion or cheerleader in the industry we should all follow and why?

Besides an obvious choice, Malala, an international graduate herself. I am very inspired by women’s rights activist Nadia Murad, who was the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 2018. The fact that… she is alive, and that she is spreading her message of peace to the world – it is so inspiring to see that she never loses hope. 

Worst food or beverage on a work trip? 

It was in Asia. I very much respect the country I was in, and generally the food was good, but because the food in Latin America is just so different it was a bit of a shock, especially considering the difference in what food was consumed at different times of the day. I really wasn’t ready for that!

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Saudi is the “land of opportunity” for K-12 schools with international expansion plans, experts have suggested, pointing to the Kingdom’s plans to attract more international private operators.

The international schools market has shifted as a result of the pandemic, with markets like Southeast Asia becoming “tougher” to operate in, and teacher recruitment more challenging than ever, speakers at the IPSEF Global conference in London said.

The conference, which is aimed at independent and international schools looking for overseas opportunities, explored how to open a school abroad and which markets to look at. Throughout the day, speakers kept coming back to Saudi as an interesting market.

“Saudi truly is the land of opportunity,” said Anita Gleave, founder and CEO of Chatsworth Schools and its international arm Blenheim Schools, which recently opened its first school in Riyadh, Beech Hall. There’s increasing place for “high quality British education” across the world, which presents “endless opportunity”, she added.

Unlike many other countries, the opportunity for international schools in Saudi is “a local opportunity”, said Vipul Bhargava, partner at Novistra, a boutique advisory firm.

It’s estimated that there are 1 million local students going to the private schools sector and 1,000 schools are required. A lot of Saudis have the funds to afford private education and the demand for English-medium schools is very high, making it a very attractive place for international and British schools, the panel agreed.

“It’s not recognised what is being done for women and girls in schools”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very keen to attract private international schools. Education is one of the key pillars of the government’s Vision 2030 to transition the economy away from an over-reliance on oil and diversity revenue.

Of course, opening up a school in a country like Saudi can come with some challenges. Pam Mundy, director of schools and education, NEOM Education, said one has to be “ready for arguments” that will come from the board of the existing school. Many schools will have to make changes to their practices and curriculum to make them suitable to the target families, she said.

“It’s not recognised how much things are changing and what is being done for women and girls in schools,” she said. She recommended that school operators explore different cities in Saudi and think hard about how to sell the idea of Saudi to the board, parents and alumni.

Ross Barfoot, partner at law firm Clyde & Co, said Egypt could be the “next China”. “When China got too difficult, we saw British schools popping up quickly in Egypt,” Barfoot noted. But the fee point in most other African countries is simply too low for international schools to be able to operate, he added.

The pandemic and a clampdown on regulation has made China a very tough market to enter and operate in.

As a result, a lot of schools across Southeast Asia have seen an influx of students from China looking for international schools in the region, especially Singapore and Thailand, Ian Callendar, COO and director at North London Collegiate School International said, speaking on a panel about Asia.

He highlighted that Asia is “a tougher market now” because of its existing high-quality school provision. Vietnam and Indonesia are still developing markets, with interesting opportunities, the panel agreed.

Another interesting country that was in the spotlight was India. Fiona Carter, director of education at Wellington College International, shared the experience of working with a local partner to open a school. She said there are some regulatory challenges, such as schools having to be not for profit and tax implications for foreign teachers.

While the fee point in India is generally lower than China and Singapore, Bhargava from Novistra, stressed that it “has lots of opportunity because its different”.

Indians spend money on education, fees are increasing, universities are now allowed to set up branch campuses in India and the government is making “the right noise” to attract foreign higher education institutions, he added.

“A lot of those who would normally be attracted to teaching are now choosing other industries”

Attracting teachers to international schools has become a major challenge post-pandemic. Diana Jacoutot, managing director at teacher recruitment firm Edvectus, said the teaching profession is losing steam and fewer people are training as many more jobs can be done from home, allowing a better work-life balance.

“This means a lot of those who would normally be attracted to teaching are now choosing other industries,” she said.

According to Ian Hunt, chairman of the Board of Governors, Haileybury Kazakhstan, there are 571,000 teachers in the international sector.

“There’s massive teacher shortages in the UK, Australia and the US. Teachers are interested in money and this will not change,” Jacoutot said. It’s a more “transactional” arrangement now than it used to be.

A country like Saudi may be an attractive destinations for teachers who wish to go overseas. Salaries are generally higher while cost of living is low.

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Europe’s first edtech unicorn GoStudent, which offers one-on-one tuition in a variety of subjects, has launched a virtual reality tool.

GoVR was launched through a partnership with both Immerse, a leading VR training company, and Meta, to create the new virtual learning platform for 13 to 18-year-olds.

“We all know it – if something’s fun it doesn’t feel like learning, and you don’t have to practice hard to remember something,” Gregor Müller, founder and COO of GoStudent told The PIE News.

“It just sticks if you have fun, if you’re engaged. With most traditional learning methods, it’s not always the case, I would say.

“We needed to find something that is learning but helps kids to forget that it’s learning, more or less,” Müller explained.

The platform will endeavour to offer group language learning experiences inside its VR world, and will aim to enhance speaking abilities specifically by dropping students into “foreign environments”, with the goal of total linguistic immersion.

While the Meta Quest hardware is the main option for students, it can also be joined on a desktop, which is also where tutors will join from as part of the experience.

“Envision yourself as a soccer coach, passionately delivering a half-time locker room speech to your favourite team, all while honing your English, or picture yourself in Paris, practising your French as you order a delicious crepe underneath the Eiffel Tower,” Müller mused.

GoVR aims to foster a “supportive environment” where students can easily practice speaking skills with “native-language tutors and their peers”.

It claims that the approach, as Müller said, will enhance memory retention but also “bolster confidence” and lessen student anxiety.

“We all know it – if something’s fun it doesn’t feel like learning”

The platform, GoStudent said is “direct response” to the idea that education is not “one size fits all”.

“We are really confident that this can be one of our bigger pillars.

“As you know, we started with one-on-one tutoring in the classroom. That’s our core and will remain our core, but our goal is to really build an ecosystem of different services and offerings. So metaverse and VR is a big one,” Müller said.

At the beginning of 2023, GoStudent also expanded its offline services when it finalised its acquisition of Studienkreis, Germany and Austria’s biggest one-on-one tutoring provider in the offline sphere.

“They have around 1,000 learning centres, and we want to create this hybrid teaching experience [with Studienkreis].

“We want to expand our ecosystem, so we can help depending on what your needs are, what your focus is, what your learning goals are or where you are in your educational career,” Müller added.

GoStudent’s acquisition of Studienkreis comes off the back of two other acquisitions in 2022, wherein it took the UK’s Seneca Learning and Spain’s Tus Media Group under its umbrella.

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The global online education outfit WuKong Education has announced the closure of its Series B funding round – as well as plans to announce a new English division.

The funding round, which is led by Marcy Venture Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners, totals at least $10m. The exact amount remains undisclosed.

Also on the docket of investors are two big names – actor Daniel Wu of Tomb Raider fame and Super Bowl champion linebacker Bobby Wagner.

“Many of our investors, including both our celebrity backers, actually have children that use our platform and independently subscribe to our courses, so they can witness the impact firsthand,” Cicy Ding, head of education at WuKong, told The PIE News.

“It’s been great to receive that support and trust from our partners, who clearly share our passion,” she continued.

The funding round will aim to further expand WuKong’s current reach, having already been used by 300,000 families across 100 countries.

Its current roster has Chinese and Maths tutoring, with over 3,000 teachers at its disposal, but the company has also begun to pilot a completely new division.

WuKong English Language Arts began its pilot project in June and the plan is to expand it to be an equal third of WuKong’s offerings, especially as English as a subject would be “much larger than Chinese”.

“We’re only open for children in the third grade at the moment for English Language Arts – but it’s by design.

“We also want to make sure the courses are designed carefully and that they actually fulfil the students’ needs and of course, meet parents’ expectations. Time will tell,” Ding explained.

English Language Arts, or ELA is ordinarily offered to primary school age students to provide “effective tutoring of reading and writing in English”.

“We want to make sure the courses are designed carefully”

“English, of course, is very essential for [our students] to understand, even for mathematics and sciences, like physics and chemistry – pretty much all other subjects following it; so we want to help our children to develop a very good foundation of English while they are in primary school,” Ding said.

The pilot project comes as WuKong settles in to its headquarters in Silicon Valley, where it initially moved in late 2022 from its founding country of New Zealand.

“Silicon Valley is closer to our major markets – the US and Canada specifically. So we want to focus on that, get closer to the users, listen to them and examine how they use our product,” Ding added.

The company will still have offices in New Zealand, China and the east of the US, Ding confirmed.

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