Ottawa seeks to diversify international student population . . .
The Government of Canada has released a new 5-year International Education Strategy that seeks to attract students from a wider diversity of countries. Currently, more than 50 per cent of Canada’s international students come from both India and China. The new diversification strategy released yesterday targets a number of new source priority countries, including the following Asia Pacific countries: Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. Due to increased competition from traditional competitors, such as Australia, the U.K., and the U.S., the strategy notes the need for a long-term co-ordinated approach to take advantage of these emerging opportunity markets.
Lessons learned from Australia . . .
Canada’s new International Education Strategy coincides with recent reports from Australia, which have noted the over reliance of Australian universities on Chinese students. On Wednesday, The Centre for Independent Studies, a think-tank based in Sydney, released a new report noting that several Australian universities have become heavily reliant on Chinese tuition, labelling the strategy as “high-risk.” Australia’s Education Minister has dismissed the findings of the report.
Preparing young Canadians for new global reality . . .
In addition to diversifying Canada’s inbound student population, the new education strategy also highlights the importance of Canadian students gaining new skills and experiences through work and study opportunities in key global markets. Asia in particular has been identified as a destination that can help students prepare themselves for today’s workforce. Of particular interest to many young Canadians is a new C$95-million, five-year Outbound Student Mobility Pilot program, which will help post-secondary students with the costs of study or work abroad.
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