We just talk about the good stuff

The Chinese regime gave post-doctoral students two weeks of training on avoiding security scrutiny and then sent them to Canada to gain access to vital technologies for industrial and military purposes, a new report has said.

The students, supported by the regime’s China Scholarship Fund, were taught how to keep a low profile and listen carefully while attending Canadian universities. The students were seeking information on quantum computing, big data and artificial intelligence, according to the Globe and Mail.

In order to stay under the radar, the students would sometimes change their field of study on their visa application. Someone learning about remote sensing would list “forestry” as their major.

While remote sensing is in fact used in forestry, it also has military uses in tracking enemy positions and movements via satellites and planes.

During the training, the students were required to pledge their loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. A similar situation occurred in Sweden where Chinese students being sent there had to take an oath to the CCP.

The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, in its public report in 2021, said that it is actively working to warn the academic community about the dangers of international students spying. CSIS said it has conducted dozens of briefings at conferences and individual universities.

“These state-sponsored technological transfer activities exploit the collaborative, transparent and open nature of Canada”

CSIS wants to ensure that university researchers “are not co-opted by foreign states to obtain military, intelligence and economic benefits at the expense of Canadian interests and values”.

Unfortunately, Canadian researchers are too trusting, the security service argued. “These state-sponsored technological transfer activities exploit the collaborative, transparent and open nature of Canada’s government, private sector and society,” the report indicated.

The Canadian security service shared the report about spying Chinese students with its Five Eyes partners – the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

The Globe and Mail report asserted that China diverted post-doctoral students from the US to Canada after the Trump administration began refusing visa applications for students from that country. The Biden administration has continued the tough stand.

The news comes as Canada is embroiled in a debate about interference by the Chinese regime in the country’s federal elections in 2019 and 2021. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the meddling but argues that it did not impact the election outcome and a public inquiry is not needed.

The post Chinese post-docs under scrutiny in Canada appeared first on The PIE News.

China has ended its freeze on 10-year business visas, making it easier for institutions to conduct in-person recruitment activities in the country.

Multiple-entry visas issued before March 28, 2020, can now be used once again as long as they have not expired, Chinese authorities announced this week, following a suspension of these during the pandemic.

The country began reissuing single-entry business visas in July 2022, but individuals hoping to obtain these would need to forfeit any existing multi-entry visas, submit their passports to the embassy and secure references.

This deterred university recruitment teams in North America, who commonly hold 10-year visas, from returning to the country, according to David Weeks, co-founder and COO at Sunrise International Education.

Weeks predicted a return of university recruiters to China now that the restrictions have been lifted.

“This is immensely helpful because it removes cost, uncertainty and one more barrier for travel.”

“There are lots of recruitment events in March, April, May and then even more in the fall,” he said.

“It’s not like you’ll see the faucet turn on, but I do think that, particularly for universities in Canada and the US who don’t have in-country representatives, this is immensely helpful because it removes cost, uncertainty and one more barrier for travel.”

China has also resumed issuing tourist visas, marking the end of the stringent travel restrictions put in place during the pandemic.

“The symbolic importance is big in that this conveys that China wants to bring people-to-people exchanges back,” Weeks said.

He emphasised the importance of face-to-face recruitment in the China market.

“China is a lower trust society in many ways than those in the EU, in North America. And I think that one of the ways that you create trust is through in-person interactions and shaking hands,” he said.

Weeks added that in-person meetings can also help counteract parents’ concerns about safety and diplomatic tensions.

The latest US higher education data showed a sharp drop in the number of Chinese students in the country, decreasing by 9% in 2021/22 compared to the previous year.

Speaking at the release of the data in November, Ethan Rosenzweig, deputy assistant secretary for academic programs at the US State Department, said recruitment from China was a priority, adding that he was “looking forward to the PRC opening its borders for US universities to recruit in-person”.

The post China resumes multiple-entry visas appeared first on The PIE News.

US-based distance learning institution Nexford University has announced its expansion into East Africa, starting with partnerships in Kenya. 

The move follows a growing number of students enrolling in the university from countries like Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa. 

The expansion has already begun with a partnership between Nexford and the Federation of Kenya Employers to analyse the country’s skill shortages. 

“We are… excited to help address local and global talent shortages by enabling Kenyan youth to build the skills they need to qualify for both local and remote jobs,” Nexford’s CEO Fadl Al Tarzi said. 

“Kenya’s economy continues to grow and is destined to leapfrog development as a result of a relatively strong primary education system, a robust technology infrastructure and a government clearly committed to digital transformation,” he continued.

Nexford’s goal is to garner a range of online partnerships with employers, and it is also “exploring collaboration” with local universities to add to their delivery of existing online offerings. 

As part of its introduction to the expansion, Nexford hosted an online learning and career readiness conference in Nairobi for prospective students, with government, employment and education stakeholders in attendance.

The country’s current market context has made online education a more compelling option for students, according to Nexford. 

Kenya’s current demand for higher education is now beginning to outnumber the amount of places available in both public and private universities – 173,000 students with grade C+ or above to just over 167,000 places. 

“Similar to many other African nations Kenya is witnessing a supply-demand imbalance across higher education, largely as a result of rapid growth in the youth population.

“We are excited to help address that capacity shortage in partnership with a number of local organisations,” Al Tarzi said.

In addition to a shortage of places, Kenya is also bracing itself for an increase in university fees and a limit on public funding to “top graded students”.

“Kenya is witnessing a supply-demand imbalance across higher education”

The fees are due to almost triple in price for government-sponsored students, from £101 a semester to over £330, with the new measures recommended by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform.

This, according to Nexford, means 40% of those with grade C+ or above will not be eligible for any public funding, thus eliminating the option of higher education altogether for some students – or pushing them to online options. 

Laila Macharia, a lawyer from the region and non-executive director of ABSA bank, has been recruited by Nexford to be its senior advisor for East Africa.

At the career readiness event in Nairobi, she spoke about “raising awareness” of the opportunities for Africans to “prepare for the future of work and access the global grid of remote employment”. 

“The many benefits of online education – provided by platforms such as Nexford – will help the shift from a ‘brain drain’ to amassing ‘brain capital’,” she said after the event.

Nexford’s platform offers US-accredited university degrees online across the world.

The post Nexford expands distance courses to East Africa appeared first on The PIE News.

From investment banking, to owning an executive search company; from leading Edinburgh Business School to becoming a dame, Heather McGregor really has done it all. Speaking with The PIE at Heriot-Watt in Dubai, McGregor reflects on her career after six months in the position of provost at the university’s UAE campus.

After a period as an investment banker, McGregor was headhunted for an advertising company by the executive search platform Taylor Bennett, at just 23 years old.

Despite an interest in Taylor Bennett itself, she says, the headhunters had to insist that she take the interviews they’d given her at target firms.

“I realised, actually, that executive search is somewhere between a management consultancy and a private detective agency – and I just was transfixed,” she recalls.

“At 23, I thought, not only do I like this business – but I want to buy it one day. I made my mind up that I would come back and I would buy the business.”

Buy it she did – at 42 years old, she bought Taylor Bennett in its entirety, and remained as its chief executive until 2016.

What came next, though, propelled her into the education sector, and eventually led to her taking the helm at Heriot-Watt University’s Dubai campus – a job, she says, she prepared for with unusual tactics.

“I think the most useful thing I did before coming here was reading the Qur’an. I have pages of notes for every four verses, almost. Reading it, you understand where cultural norms are anchored.

“It was incredibly helpful, and an educational experience,” she explains.

McGregor has been on record for saying that she does not believe in the glass ceiling, and this has endured throughout her time in Dubai.

Despite issues surrounding rights in Islamic countries for women, McGregor insists that she has never felt challenged as a woman in the UAE. In Dubai, she notes, a woman has to sit on every board by law.

“It’s incredibly supportive as an environment for women. I find, having visited a lot of Emirati homes and palaces, that it is the same everywhere [in the UAE].

“Why join the leading brand? All you have at that point is a position of defence”

“I think being respectful is key. I’ve lived in a lot of other countries – Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan – either way, you should be respectful of the views and opinions of the people whose country you live in,” she says.

Her involvement with Heriot-Watt did not start in Edinburgh Business School. Before that, she had a few different jobs at the institution. She was first offered the role of chair of Court in 2014, and the hiring process was, in her opinion, what helped her really begin to understand the university.

She briefly considered taking on the role as a way to “give back”. In the end, had to turn it down due to timing constraints.

“I was passionate by this stage about Heriot-Watt. I’ve always thought it was an amazing university because it championed widening access from the day it was founded. I love challenger brands – why join the leading brand? All you have at that point is a position of defence,” she muses.

She quips that she’s always labelled Heriot-Watt as the MIT of Edinburgh. “Everything about Heriot-Watt spoke to me as I was so passionate about careers.”

The hiring process, while unsuccessful, left a good impression of McGregor, and it wasn’t long before she was approached again.

By 2016, she had become the executive dean of the business school, having sold Taylor Bennett and moved into higher education fully.

During her time there, the team created a whole new MBA, completely overhauling a long-standing distance learning MBA the school had.

“We examined a lot of strategic options with it, because without being merged into the main university, we had very restricted options,” she recalls. As such, the answer was to shut down the entire entity in 2019 and reopen it, merged with the university itself.

“It was chalk and cheese coming together… I was suddenly in charge of all these academics, so it was very different. This whole merger coincided with the arrival of Lucy Everest, joining originally as our director of marketing recruitment.

“She brought two absolutely shining lights, one of modernisation and secondly of student recruitment and retention. I was lucky that we went through this merger not long after her arrival,” said McGregor.

“Everything about Heriot-Watt spoke to me as I was so passionate about careers”

McGregor’s eventual move to Dubai and becoming provost of the campus was long in the making. It was one of the jobs she had her eye on the moment she set foot in the main university.

She recalls her frequent visits to Dubai, not just during her time at the business school but also during her time as a stockbroker, and once the job became vacant at the end of 2021, her fate was sealed.

McGregor reflects on her journey to higher education – all symbolised by a story surrounding a graduation gown.

After finishing her PhD in finance in Hong Kong, she returned to the UK, already having had three children and well into her time as a stockbroker. She turned down the chance to go to the graduation ceremony. Instead, she bought the gown with a promise in mind.

“I thought, I’m not going to cross the stage this time. But I am going to buy my gown, because I did this degree to go and work in a university and I think one day I will. I never wore it, because what would I wear it for?

“The first time I ever took that gown out of its plastic was in November 2016 to attend my first graduation ceremony – so I did eventually get to wear it.”

The post Heather McGregor, Heriot-Watt Dubai appeared first on The PIE News.

Representatives from the UK’s K-12 and early years sectors are visiting Saudi Arabia this week on a trade mission, as more independent schools set up franchises in the country. 

Stakeholders from private and international schools and the early years sector are spending five days in the Middle Eastern country to engage with government ministries, hold policy roundtables and meet with global investors. 

Five UK independent schools, including Chatsworth School and King’s College Taunton, have opened new branches or ‘satellite schools’ in Saudi Arabia since 2021, following an initial trade mission in that same year. 

Saudi Arabia is home to approximately seven million school-age children – the largest K-12 student population in the Gulf Cooperation Council area – and enrolment in private education is expected to grow significantly over the next decade.

“Saudi Arabia’s current emphasis on transforming their education system makes it an attractive opportunity”

David Rose, director at Brookes Education Group, said the school group had been exploring potential partnerships in Saudi Arabia “for some time”, including looking at opportunities for school start-ups that extend “beyond the expat community”. 

“Saudi Arabia’s current emphasis on transforming their education system into a connected and creative approach which prepares their young people for the modern world while preserving their own identity, language, traditions and culture makes it an attractive opportunity,” Rose said. 

The country has been identified as a priority region in the UK’s international education strategy. Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030, which sets out plans to diversify the economy and reform its international standing, prioritises the development of an education system that aligns with market needs. 

Jamie Large, director of international education at Ardingly College, said the boarding school had been “very active” in the country since 2021 and was planning to “move fast” to open a franchise in 2024. 

It comes as negotiations continue for a free trade agreement between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council, with the third round of talks kicking off this week in Riyadh. 

The post UK schools visit Saudi to establish satellites appeared first on The PIE News.

Interventions to build support systems for international students in Australia need to be “urgently explored”, according to a new study published in the BMC Psychology journal.

The research found that the pandemic had a substantial negative impact on international students, particularly those living outside of their country of origin during the pandemic.

Report authors warned that the inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic are likely to continue post-pandemic without action.

“This study demonstrated that university student mental health substantially deteriorated during the Covid-19 pandemic,” they said.

“Of note was the substantial worsening of international students’ mental health, social support, and financial security. Whilst these issues were exacerbated by the pandemic, all issues were prevalent prior to the pandemic and may well continue post-pandemic.”

“All issues were prevalent prior to the pandemic and may well continue post-pandemic”

The researchers wrote that identifying and implementing adequate preventative interventions, such as building social capital programs at universities and in the community, is “an imperative”.

“However, further on-the-ground knowledge is still required to identify effective interventions in the current climate and into the future,” they added.

The study used a cohort of 4,407 university students to assess depression, anxiety, social support, inability to afford food, fear of partner and experiences of discrimination, both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic.

Compared to local students, international students experienced an increase in probable major depression, low social support, inability to afford food, race-based discrimination and fear of partner .

“This research had one of the largest domestic and international student samples on the topic and included a comparison of scores across groups for key measures both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic, making it a particularly strong study,” Samuel McKay, research fellow in suicide prevention at Orygen, told The PIE News.

“However, it is important to note that the university where it was based was in Melbourne, Australia, which had some of the longest lockdown/stay at home orders of any city in the world. This may have exacerbated the mental health impacts on students.

“Nevertheless, the findings align with a smaller study of international students from the UK and US that found students who stayed in country during the pandemic had worse mental health outcomes, suggesting the findings may be representative of international student experiences from other locations.”

McKay said there was also already data from prior to the pandemic that international students were a vulnerable group who often experienced poor mental health but were unlikely to seek support.

“So it is unsurprising that such issues were exacerbated by the pandemic,” McKay added.

McKay explained there needs to be more research into how international students can be supported.

“Very few programs or interventions have been tested. For instance, when we reviewed the literature on international student suicide prevention programs, we found no evidence-based programs anywhere in the world,” he said.

“This means we don’t know what works and what doesn’t or where we should be focusing our resources to have the greatest impact. Importantly, any future research should include international students in the design, development, and implementation to have the greatest chance of success.”

“We don’t know what works and what doesn’t”

Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, told The PIE that the greatest challenge facing study destination countries providing mental health services is the lack of interculturally-accredited counsellors.

“Too often we hear of international students required to attend counselling sessions with Anglo Celtic background counsellors who do not understand many of the ethno-specific issues faced by students.

“Issues of sexuality, religion, gender stereotyping and family expectations are often more pervasive amongst the overseas student cohort compared to their domestic peers.”

Honeywood said that attempting to backfill mental health counselling from inadequately trained fellow student mentors can have “tragic consequences”.

“Post pandemic, Australian universities are now much more aware of the importance of making counselling a core service provision,” he added.

Universities Australia acting chief executive Peter Chesworth told The PIE that moving abroad to study is a big step for anyone and that the organisation recognises the difficulties international students sometimes face.

“Covid-19 presented new challenges. It deprived some students of the opportunity to commence their studies in-person while preventing others from returning home to see their friends and loved ones,” he said.

“Universities did everything they could to find and connect with all their students during those hard couple of years, ensuring students had access to the full range of support services they offer.

“We strongly encourage anyone struggling, at any time, to reach to their institution for the help they need.”

If you need support, help is available.

Australia
Lifeline: 131 114
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

New Zealand
Lifeline: 0800 543 354

UK
Samaritans: 116 123

US
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988

Canada:
TalkSuicide: 1 833 456 4566

The post Aus: urgent need for int’l student support systems  appeared first on The PIE News.

Speakers at AIEA’s conference last month underscored that Africa will soon ‘matter more’ to the Global North, as the continent was placed in the spotlight.

During the next half century, Africa is predicted to have the highest demand for higher education and the largest labour force, with Africans representing 40% of the global work force, delegates at the event in Washington, DC, heard.

At the opening plenary, Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, associate provost at Case Western Reserve University, highlighted the “remarkable growth” of universities in Africa over last two decades, but added, “the growth in enrollment is outstripping growth in faculty”.

‘Funmi Olonisakin, vice-president of international engagement and service at King’s College London proffered that African migrants are among the most educated immigrants in their country of residence and that graduate studies must have a focus on “feeding the faculty pipeline”.

Olonisakin asserted HEIs need to re-examine motivations for internationalisation. “We need to adapt and engage a post-Covid reality with a changing population of international students,” she said.

“Trends of the future have emerged. And we need to strategically mobilise,” she avowed, stating that taking such a “problem-solving approach” means responding to both individual and societal needs.

“It’s social about responsibility and it requires a longitudinal approach. It’s a journey; it’s an experiment; but we cannot do it in isolation. It requires partnership.”

Olonisakin offered a series of recommendations, including developing easier systems of credit transfers and transcript evaluations, moving from branch campuses to co-developed programs, and leveraging resources to meet the scale of the challenge.

“We need to rethink the structure of TNE partnerships”

“We need to rethink the structure of TNE partnerships, so they are not just suiting the partners in the Global North.”

Speaking with The PIE News after the keynote, Olonisakin emphasised key takeaways to foster enhanced collaboration between the Global North and South.

“We have the same needs. We have the same challenges locally and globally. We have some of the best students in the world who may not be able to afford higher education,” she said.

She recommended to tackle this problem systematically, leaders must find local and global likeminded partners who are keen to collaborate. “We need to triangulate partnerships in a way that works. The challenges may be the same but it’s the point of intervention that might be different. So how we build partnerships is important,” she noted.

The British Council also held a panel at the conference that showcased its Innovation for African Universities program and discussed the role of internationalisation in strengthening university entrepreneurship ecosystems.

The regional director for higher education programs in Sub-Saharan Africa for the British Council, Adetomi Soyinka, spoke about the “side-hustle culture” that exploded during the pandemic when many schools were closed and layoffs abounded.

“Many young graduates ended up unemployed or employed and underpaid, an interesting development that became too fundamental to ignore especially during the Covid-19 pandemic that closed schools for long periods,” Soyinka said. IAU was developed to provide a platform for students to hone their entrepreneurial skills.

Duval van Zijl, climate director of the LaunchLab at Stellenbosch University, maintained that although Africa only contributes 3% to carbon emissions globally, “its population growth projections make it implicit for the continent to begin now, the process of putting in place low carbon products to ensure a secure future”.

From climate change solutions, to using drones to plant crops, to solar based cookstoves built to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the panelists shared numerous innovative start-ups developed by students through the IAU program.

To date, the IAU supports 35 projects in over 80 HEIs with nearly 400 partners and more than 7,000 students.

The IAU is one example of a high-impact practice that is bolstering Africa’s place in the HE sector. And leaders have called for an increase in similar partnerships and programs that strengthen Africa’s geopolitical position.

“There has to be massive investment in capital and capacity to build up Africa in the global economy,” Zeleza concluded.

The post Africa in the spotlight at AIEA conference appeared first on The PIE News.

The launch of a new PIE Insider digest on leadership in international education explores the role of personal brand and reputation in the sector.

The European digest also features an exclusive interview with Sir Steve Smith, the UK International Education Champion.

The first in a series that will also cover North America and APAC regions, the report contains a list of 50 voices either domiciled or operating in the European sector that we think offer an interesting commentary on the international education ecosystem.

The list includes a range of experienced leaders, rising stars, disrupters and policy makers who have something to say.

In a time when audiences are increasingly searching for authenticity and reality-based content, the voice and platform of individuals is becoming an important factor in furthering organisational goals.

Like it or not, the reach and influence of individuals is often greater and more impactful than corporate communications. Social media channels such as LinkedIn now equal traditional platforms for thought leadership such as conferences or publications.

Phil Baty, chief global affairs officer for Times Higher Education, who is named in the list of 50 voices for Europe, took to social media, saying it was an “honour” to be included in the list.

“Every day I appreciate how lucky I am to have the pleasure and privilege to work in such a vital and vibrant sector, with so many great friends and colleagues all across the world,” said Baty.

Even the UK international education strategy has a unique figurehead role in the form of an international education champion, spearheading the delivery of the plan and acting as a named representative for government officials overseas, a constant in what has been a time of political change in the UK government.

Speaking in the digest, Sir Steve Smith explained “my job is not to be in any spotlight. Away from the politics happening in the world, we’re just focusing on what’s doable.”

“The fact that the international education champion, not specifically me as a person, that role is back again [meeting with country representatives] is an important signifier. Government ministers may change but the principles have continued,” Smith said.

The interview reveals personal details about Smith’s own childhood and how those formative experiences have shaped his drive and motivation to champion UK education.

“The aim is to humanise our leaders and policy-makers, and highlight the challenges they face on a personal level”

The timing of the digest’s release is part of the build up to The PIE Live Europe, a flagship leadership conference taking place in London between March 28-29, 2023. There will be a session on the ‘voices’ led by The PIE’s director of insight, Nicholas Cuthbert.

“I am very proud of the interview with Sir Steve and the signposting to interesting perspectives across our network,” said Cuthbert. “The aim is to humanise our leaders and policy-makers, and highlight the challenges they face on a personal level.”

On-stage communications are an important part of effective leadership as the sector tries to communicate its vision, values and goals. Finding your voice can be important skills in motivating and leading a team, as well as influencing external relationships and business.

Readers can download The PIE Insider Leadership digest and 50 voices for 2023 – Europe here.

The post Exploring people behind the policy in ‘voices’ digest appeared first on The PIE News.