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.

Han Xiao Zhang works to strengthen Australia-Indonesia education ties, which he believes is one of the most significant aspects of the countries’ bilateral relationship. Since taking up the post of Education and Research counsellor in Jakarta in late 2021, he has been advising Australian universities and supporting their engagement with Indonesia, including to establish stand-alone campuses. He has hosted high-level visits to Indonesia, spoken at policy forums across the country and met with the president of the Republic of Indonesia, as well as the minister of education culture research and technology, to advance education cooperation between the two countries.

Tell me about a defining moment in your career?

Without a doubt, my posting to Indonesia to work in the Australian Embassy is the most remarkable and life-changing journey that I have embarked on. To move away from Australia to a new country, I was thrilled and motivated by the opportunity.

I knew the decision to come to Jakarta would be a defining moment and have a significant effect on my career and life’s trajectory. I have learnt so much in that time and I have been exposed to some amazing opportunities.

Inevitably, there were some bumps in the road, but these are growth opportunities. I recognise that to be effective in my job, I needed to be resilient and embrace adversity. I needed to be flexible, be able to quickly recalibrate but also be patient. I needed to prioritise relationships with Indonesian and Australian stakeholders, from government, universities and industry.

What makes you get up in the morning?

The morning sun. Nothing better than getting the glorious morning rays to properly wake you up, even if it’s through the heavy Jakarta smog. It also helps that I have a wonderful job to go to.

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

Poverty alleviation and universal access to education. Both prevalent issues in Indonesia.

Biggest challenge to your profession?

The increasingly contested geopolitical and geostrategic environment that we operate in, and its impact on international education, particularly with regards to student and academic mobility, research collaboration and institutional autonomy.

Nevertheless, it also presents the biggest opportunity as international education can be an effective foreign policy tool. Governments should consider how best to leverage international education in the context of evolving international relations.

Champion/cheerleader which we should all follow and why?

Malcolm Turnbull – former prime minister of Australia. I always found Malcolm to be articulate, well-thought out, considered, composed and balanced – leadership traits that I wish to emulate.

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A program for Kenyan students to study in Finland and Canada has attracted the attention of national investigative agencies, after parents say they have lost more than US$5.8 million to local government officials.

The scandal has left more than 300 students stranded at home, while others face expulsion from Finnish universities over non-payment of fees.

Under the scheme, the County government of Uasin Gishu was to act as guarantors to students in an arrangement with foreign universities and a local company, whereby families paid into a trust fund account.

Kenya’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have taken over the matter, and are reportedly prioritising it in a bid to get justice for victims.

The Commission is expected to submit its conclusion to the Director of Public Prosecutions in the coming weeks.

The scandal first came to light earlier this year when a group of Kenyan students enrolled in universities in Finland since September 2021 faced expulsion from campuses and subsequent deportation.

The local government unit failed to meet its fees obligations as guarantors for the students, families say.

Parents deposited money in a trust fund account with the first successful 51 students leaving for Finland, other batches of students followed for the University of Jyväskylä, Laurea University of Applied Sciences and LUT University in subsequent months of 2021 and 2022. However, accommodation and tuition fees were paid for only one semester.

Finnish stakeholders had expected the tuition fees by Uasin Gishu County rather than the parents themselves.

“All we want is our money”

Other students were to be enrolled into the Northern Lights College British Columbia, Canada, in a deal arranged by a local placement company Max Global Limited.

Former governor, Jackson Mandago, suspended officials suspected to have embezzled the cash and has pledged a refund. However, there is no clarity on how the crisis will be resolved.

A decision on whether criminal charges will be pressed is being awaited.

“We’ve had enough of your stories. We did not put you in office to give us stories. All we want is our money,” Mercy Tarus, one of the affected students angrily remarked last week at a meeting called to seek a resolution.

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International students who had their admission offers suddenly revoked by a Canadian college have been offered the chance to enrol at an alternative institution in Toronto. 

Ontario-based Northern College previously told 503 students that the courses they had enrolled in at its private partner, Pures College of Technology, were oversubscribed and that they would no longer be eligible to study there, one month before they were due to start. 

The College has now announced that affected students may be able to transfer to Toronto institution Centennial College.

In a statement, Northern College said students would be assessed for admission into a similar program to the one they had originally signed up to “with the goal of placing affected students for the upcoming academic year”. 

“We are very mindful that this situation has been very stressful”

Some 335 students have expressed interest in studying at Centennial and 250 have completed an application for the assessment process, according to Northern College. The majority of these already have housing secured in Canada. 

“We are very mindful that this situation has been very stressful for many Northern College international students,” the College said. 

“We are grateful to have partnered with Centennial College to prepare enrolment options for affected students for the 2023/24 academic year.” 

Craig Stephenson, president and CEO of Centennial College, said, “When Centennial College learned about the situation at Northern College, we took action to see how we could help them support students who have made plans and sacrifices to attend college in Ontario.

“Centennial is in a position to welcome a number of students who would otherwise have to cancel or delay their plans to start college in Ontario this fall, and we are working closely with [Canadian immigration platform] BorderPass, Northern College and our government partners to facilitate this solution for those who choose to pursue acceptance in an equivalent program and meet the criteria.”

There will be no additional application costs for the affected students. 

But one Indian student, who wished to remain anonymous, told The PIE that he is “still hopeless” after submitting an application and receiving an out of office response. 

Northern College encouraged students who had not yet done so to contact BorderPass. According to BorderPass, students must respond by August 17 to be guaranteed consideration. 

BorderPass CEO Sally Daub said, “Recognising the challenges these students have faced, we’re working closely with all stakeholders, including Canada’s dedicated government officials, to facilitate their journey towards studying in Canada.

“Immigration makes a positive contribution to Canada’s social and economic fabric, and we are resolute in our commitment to partnering with Canadian colleges and universities that champion international students.”

Canadian agent and immigration consultant Earl Blaney previously told The PIE, “Northern College and their overseas agent network have been dumping study permit applications at IRCC missions like nobody’s business.” 

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The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia has announced a new division for its higher education members as it seeks to give them “focused policy leadership” on unique issues they face.

Over three decades, independent higher education institutions have featured among its members that span the breadth of the country’s tertiary education sector.

ITECA Higher Education represents a commitment to those members that the peak body can provide the focused policy leadership they need, according to chief executive, Troy Williams.

The new division is necessary as the government looks to reform the university sector via the Australian Universities Accord, the peak body says, but it warns independent providers are being overlooked.

Independent institutions enrol some 17.5% of international higher education students in Australia.

“ITECA Higher Education provides peer-to-peer collaborative networks and member-driven policy advocacy,” he said.

“The focus of ITECA Higher Education is on creating an environment in which independent institutions can deliver the best outcomes for students.”

The new chapter comes at a critical time as the Australian government looks reform the sector, ITECA noted.

It will aim to “put students at the heart of the higher education system”, where they can study with the institution of their choice. It also wants to create a system where there is universal access in Australia to higher education funding, loan programs and research funding.

“The approaches of the Australian government that favours public institutions are no longer appropriate”

“The approaches of the Australian government that favours public institutions are no longer appropriate and don’t support students at all well,” Williams added.

The wing’s advocacy priority will be to ensure that the Australian, state and territory governments pursue policies that are “provider agnostic”.

“In that context, the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report disappointed our members with its overt focus on, and support for, public institutions.”

Williams previously stated that the Universities Accord needed to “recognise the complementarity of independent and public higher education providers”, calling for the plan to be renamed a “higher education accord”.

“Going forward, ITECA Higher Education looks forward to working with existing members, new members, and government on the issues that are critical to the delivery of quality education,” he concluded.

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Stakeholders in New Zealand’s international education sector have called an axed recognised agencies program “unfit for purpose”.

The Education New Zealand Recognised Agencies program, or ENZRA, was first launched in 2014 with an aim to support education agencies promoting New Zealand as an international education destination.

It has been ceased after “extensive engagement” with agents and stakeholders deeming it no longer useful to the sector at large.

“We want to continue working with, and listening to, agencies who will be the trusted voice representing high-quality education agencies from around the world,” Sahinde Pala, general manager of sector services at ENZ, told The PIE.

“Education providers have the primary responsibility for agents working with them in New Zealand, and we’re focusing our efforts to ensure we’re supporting that relationship,” she added.

Stakeholders speaking to The PIE News have said that the program was not “adding value” to the industry’s efforts to recruit overseas students. 

It comes as multiple countries are looking into the use of agents on a federal level. Australia has seen a plethora of issues surrounding how agents are regulated, with a review in May saying tighter scrutiny was needed amid reports of “dodgy” agents facilitating the trafficking of “non-genuine” students and student poaching. 

Elsewhere, multiple questions have been asked in Canada about the need for heightened education agency scrutiny after multiple reports of agents faking acceptance certificates and promising permanent residency to students.  

ENZRA has had a bumpy history as a program. A year after its initial launch, it was put on pause due to “negative feedback” from stakeholders. 

A management consultancy brought in for a subsequent review said it had the “unintended perception that it was a quality assurance program, which took ENZ beyond its organisational remit”. 

The program was officially relaunched in 2018 – with agencies having to achieve a certain standard through a points system, meet “minimum conduct standards” and fulfil ENZ stipulated training requirements. 

Despite it lasting four years, agencies were rolled over in 2021 and it was again put under review in September 2022 off the back of the amended international education strategy release. 

Geneviève Rousseau Cung, education agents manager at ENZ, said at the time it was necessary to make sure the program “does the best possible job of supporting our international education sector as it rebuilds”. 

Andrew McSweeney, Pourangi Ākonga me te Ahumahi, or deputy chief executive learner and employer experience and attraction at Te Pūkenga, told The PIE it was consulted as part of the review.

“From our perspective, the program was not adding value to our international marketing efforts. It did not provide agent performance measures and membership was not a consideration when we were appointing education agents,” McSweeney surmised. 

“The program was not adding value to our international marketing efforts”

Kim Renner said agencies play a “vital role” in supporting students and, of course, promoting New Zealand as a study destination – and was assured the ENZ has “confirmed their commitment to enhancing the support they provide to agencies”. 

“This can be done without ENZRA which wasn’t fit for purpose,” Renner, executive director at English New Zealand, told The PIE.

“Many very experienced agencies did not see the benefit in joining and others were ineligible,” she added.

ENZ’s commitment to support agencies going forward echoes the final outcome of recent decisions in the US, where for some time it seemed as if third-party guidance would effectively ban education agents and recruitment consultants – before clarifying the guidance to say they had been excluded from additional oversight, allowing them to continue their work. 

Following the clarification in April, a report in May cited a “dramatic growth” in the number of partnerships between agents and institutions, showing agency collaboration in the US is alive and well. 

“ENZ’s renewed agent engagement program aims to better its offering for all education agents globally, so they are best placed to support the recovery of the international education sector. 

“Education providers have the primary responsibility for agents working with them in New Zealand, and we’re focusing our efforts to ensure we’re supporting that relationship,” Pala explained.

“Prospective students find agencies via a range of methods”

McSweeney assured that the discontinuation of ENZRA would have “no impact” on Te Pūkenga’s conduct, and it would continue to use their “existing quality assurance processes”. 

“Prospective students find agencies via a range of methods and that will continue without ENZRA… [students] can ask the school they’re interested in for a list of agencies in their location,” Renner added.

The PIE reached out to various education agencies who were part of the recognised agency program, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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On International Youth Day, AFS Intercultural Programs held its opening ceremony for the 28^th Youth Assembly at the United Nations in New York City.

Over 800 delegates from 100 countries, along with leaders from across the education, health, political and business sectors, gathered in celebration and solidarity to take action to address global challenges.

President and CEO of AFS, Daniel Obst told The PIE, “The Youth Assembly is a platform for young people from across the world to come together and advance sustainable development.”

In his opening address at the UN, Obst asserted, “We must place young people at the centre of creating positive change in the world and young people must have a seat at the table in any discussion about any of the major issues of our time.”

And five of these key global issues were the central strands of a weekend of workshops, panel discussions, plenaries and exhibitions at The Youth Assembly. They included employability, climate action, information integrity, reducing inequalities and global solidarity.

“Young people must have a seat at the table in any discussion about any of the major issues of our time”

During the opening ceremony, Csaba Kőrösi, the president of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, gave a keynote address. Kőrösi noted that when the UN developed the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, they gave themselves 15 years to accomplish the mission.

“The objective [of the SDGs] was to change the trajectory and to prevent various forms of breakdown,” Kőrösi said. However, with only seven years remaining, he warned that “we are racing against time” as the “interlocking crises” of care, jobs and the environment is near.

He urged delegates to combat misinformation and disinformation with data.

“In the General Assembly we are bringing evidence and data into our discussions so we can back up what we say and validate what we do. I plead to you as young leaders; I urge you to use all the scientific tools you can to make informed decisions that point us in the direction of sustainability and transformation.”

Kőrösi concluded by stating, “We can still curb climate change and restore much of the natural wealth of our planet. We can make our world more just more inclusive; more stable. But it can only happen upon well-designed and executed programs. You are architects of transformation. Your generation is the game changer generation, and you are the best chance for the future.”

Maher Nasser, director of the outreach division of UN department of global communications, said, “Things are done better and more effectively by working together, something we call multilateralism… but unless we work across generational lines, we will not be able to overcome the challenges that we are facing.”

Wendy Cox CEO and cofounder for Teach for All noted that these challenges, “systemic inequities and threats we face as a society are solvable, but they are not going to be solved by single solutions.”

Rather, Cox suggested that “solving these complex rooted problems” will require “whole transformations of systems… which entails reshaping policy, changing practice and shifting culture”.

In conclusion, Cox asked delegates to consider “how to generate an unstoppable movement that inspires and enables [them] to tackle the world’s biggest threats and injustices with the invaluable resource of time and energy”.

Obst said, “It’s amazing to see the passion and commitment of these young leaders. The AFS Youth Assembly is like an incubation hub for developing ideas and projects in a dialogue with people with different perspectives and backgrounds.”

He said it is what the mission of AFS is all about, “developing active global citizens and expanding intercultural understanding.”

Youth Assembly delegates also have an opportunity to participate in competition for the AFS Award for Young Global Citizens for $10,000, with two runner up prizes of $2,500 each, as well as for the Outstanding Youth Delegate Award.

Yumna Khan, director of The Youth Assembly and strategic youth initiatives, told The PIE, “Many of the delegates are coming from backgrounds where they might have done amazing work but were not recognised for it. And today they’re on a global stage presenting.”

The 2020 Young Global Citizen Award winner Shah Rafayat Chowdhury, founder of Footsteps Bangladesh, spoke to The PIE about impact the Youth Assembly has on delegates. “I believe the biggest take away for a young person is, after leaving the summit, they will have more courage; more confidence; and more belief in themselves that they will be able to overcome the challenges that come their way.”

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