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• ATEED launches new Auckland strategy to guide visitor economy

  ATEED General Manager Destination, Steve Armitage, says while more visitors are good news economically, the growth comes with challenges. 

  “People travel to Auckland to experience the many things our region has to offer. For some, it’s the world-class food and wine; for others, it’s the sporting, cultural and business events; or international students, who come from around the world to study at our learning institutions,” said Steve.

  “It’s important that we continue to attract visitors to support and create jobs and amenities that benefit locals and visitors…so that Auckland is better off not just economically, but also socially and environmentally.”

  The strategy outlines six strategic imperatives and key focus areas, and a comprehensive list of actions to deliver these, with two directly relating to international education:

  -   A Captivating Place: A region that entices visitors to stay longer and that locals love more than ever. Actions include developing an international student visitor plan. 

  -   A Skilled Place: A region where more young men and women are choosing globally relevant careers in the visitor economy. Actions include developing a visitor sector training and employment strategy for youth and enhancing standards across the service sector.

  Destination AKL 2025 was guided by an industry leadership group, and involved extensive consultation including interviews, workshops and discussions, as well as international benchmarking and surveys.

  ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson, who was part of the industry leadership group, says that ATEED is showing real leadership in the way it is looking at its visitor plan.

  He said this is evident in the way the strategy is based around destination management and not just attraction. This should ensure visitors are acknowledged as an asset to the Auckland region – a perspective that will reflect positively on the experience visitors go on to have in Auckland.

  “International students are an important part of the visitor community and we are delighted that the strategy reflects this through the inclusion of an international student visitor plan.”

  "The strategy has involved significant cross-industry collaboration to get to this point, and the plan is to keep this going. We are very optimistic about the direction Auckland is heading in and are looking forward to working with Auckland to bring it to life.”

  Click here to read or download Destination AKL 2025.

• Kiwi students become ambassadors in Beijing

  The students represented three cohorts from Massey University and the University Canterbury. Two of the groups were based at Peking University, while the other had been studying in Hangzhou.    

  This marks the second year in a row that PMSA groups have come together at a function at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing.  

  New Zealand Ambassador to China, Clare Fearnley, welcomed the visitors and provided an update on the China-New Zealand relationship. Other Embassy staff, representing a range of government agencies from the Ministry of Primary Industries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade were present to talk to students about their roles and areas of interest. 

  ENZ Regional Director North Asia, Adele Bryant, said it provided a great opportunity to encourage the students to be ambassadors for New Zealand education during their stay in China. 

  “These students are ideally placed to help raise the profile of New Zealand education, as they are great examples of the kind of students we produce – independent thinkers, and creative, innovative and skilled young people.” 

  Massey University’s Head of the School of Humanities, Kerry Taylor, also believes in the value of the programmes to students, both now and in their future. 

  “The PMSA provides an opportunity for our high academic achievers to experience first-hand the dynamism and relevance of China to New Zealand,” said Kerry.  

  “Many will come back to do more study in China or develop business links with China that will contribute to New Zealand’s prosperity.”

  

  A PMSA group from Massey University at the New Zealand Centre, Peking University. The Massey students studied an intensive Chinese Language programme at PKU.

• New approach for Korean middle schools

  The Korean government wants to improve levels of student happiness, and move on from students validating their success and self-worth only in terms of academic performance. A priority is to support students to pursue “non-core learning areas” (such as music, arts, physical education, career exploration, club-oriented activities, etc). Each school will now designate a semester that is exam- and test-free to allow students to experience a wide range of these activities.

  This approach represents a big change in the Korean education environment. To date these students have relied heavily on simple memorisation and rote learning instead of thinking creatively or critically. The government now expects students to freely discover their competencies and capability, free from the stress associated with exams. Korean President Park Geun-hye describes this initiative as a “key task to fundamentally change Korea’s education system”.

  Under this new initiative, schools will teach students using diverse and engaging methods such as discussion, experiments, outdoor activities and team projects. Opportunities for students to engage with activities that may inform their thinking about future career options and/or future subject choices is also encouraged.

  The initiative began as a pilot in September 2013 with 42 Korean middle schools (1 percent of all Korean middle schools). It was expanded in 2014 to around 800 schools (25 percent), and to 1,500 schools in 2015 (nearly 50 percent). This year, all 3,204 middle schools – and their 1.5 million students – will implement this approach.

  Opportunities for NZ schools

  This new way of working not only requires a significant paradigm change in thinking for educators and parents, it also requires Korea to develop new infrastructure outside the classroom. It may therefore take some time to fully develop.

  This new initiative presents an opportunity for New Zealand schools; two groups of Korean parents may be interested in sending their children to study abroad during the exam-free semester:

  1. Families that wish to take advantage of the New Zealand curriculum, teaching expertise and existing infrastructure in terms of these broader subject areas (especially opportunities to learn outside of the classroom that are available at New Zealand’s intermediate schools); or

  2. Families that have a more traditional Korean academic education preference and wish to provide their children with an intensive learning experience (such as significantly develop their English language skills).

  New Zealand schools may therefore wish to reframe their marketing collateral for parents to demonstrate the strengths of their school’s programmes to deliver quality educational outcomes for Korean middle school students during these exam-free semesters.

  FAQs

  What age and year level are Korean middle school students?

  Students in Korea start school at age seven, rather than five, the usual age in New Zealand.  Korean middle school students are in years seven and eight and aged 13-14 years. The table below compares the age and year of the two school systems.

  What are the Korean school semester dates?

  Korean school year is divided into two semesters, running from 1 March to mid-July, and from mid/late August to February.

  Who decides which semester will be exam-free? Will it be the same semester for all schools in a region, for example? 

  Individual principals, in consultation with their school staff decide which semester will be selected as the ‘exam-free’ semester. This could be any semester between the first semester in the first year and the first semester of the second year.

  

  Would this be an opportunity for students to spend the whole semester away from Korea, or are we talking about short (say 2-3 week or 4-5 week) programmes for groups?

  This will likely be predominately an opportunity for individual students to study for a full semester in New Zealand.

  That said, it is possible that schools with MoUs with Korean schools could promote an exchange or short course study abroad programme, but New Zealand schools who are interested in this should carefully canvas existing sister schools first to confirm whether this approach would meet the requirements.

  What does experiential learning mean in Korea? 

  The following four types of activities have been recommended by the Korean Ministry of Education:

  • Topic of interest: students choose topic(s) of interest and participate in a programme of activities around the topic, such as: entrepreneurship, design, animation, film, barista skills, smartphone app development, robotics, cooking, science etc.

  • Arts and physical education: students undertake activities that are not part of their regular school curriculum such as: participating in a musical or in a band, curating, industrial design, or physical education activities such as sports leisure industry experience or exploring career options around soccer, dancing etc.

  • Club activities: student clubs can be organised by students around topics of interest. These could be linked to other activities such as sports, career or volunteering such as a hospital volunteering group of 20 students who go to local hospitals to help out.

  • Career: students discover what employment options await; giving a chance for them to begin thinking about the sort of work they would like to do in the future and to gather information that will help them make good decisions about the courses they will undertake when they enter secondary school. This could include going into workplaces to experience, observe etc. and could also include a career counselling component.

  The New Zealand curriculum, teaching techniques and education outside of the classroom experience and infrastructure appears to be a good fit with this initiative.

• Student Voice 2013 a ‘great opportunity’

  Twenty five current and former international students gathered to share their education experiences and to network with other international students.

  Activities kicked off with a scavenger hunt where the teams were given a list of clues and tasks to complete at different locations around the city. The scavenger hunt included a creative photo competition to create content for our social media channels. Photos from the scavenger hunt can be found on our Facebook page.

  During day two of Student Voice, workshops were held to learn more about the pathways students took to study in New Zealand, their education experiences, and their views on what can be done to improve the student experience.

  Participants also fed back on the new, New Zealand Education Story brand, creating their own execution of the brand posters.

  ENZ selected three current international students and one alumnus from the Student Voice group to make up the panel members for the Student Voice 2013 session at the New Zealand International Education Conference. The panel members will share their education pathway experiences and the findings from Student Voice 2013. 

  We are very excited to have such outstanding representatives of New Zealand education joining us.  

• eT4e - Ed Tech for Export conference

  The conference is organised by Grow Wellington with the support of Education New Zealand.

  This year's conference features four international speakers from business and academia - Lee Wilson, CEO of Filament Games in Wisconsin; Dr Erkki Sutinen, head of the edTech Research Group from the University of Eastern Finland; Jennifer Carolan, head of the NewSchools Seed Fund in California; and Hapara founder Jan Zawadzki.

  They will be joined by national speakers including Noelene Anderson, Pixelhouse; David Ellis, NZCER; Adrian Sallis, Vital English; David Cameron, LearnKo and Maru Nihoniho, Metia Interactive.

  Globally, education technology is one of the fastest growing sectors in education. Growth is being driven by increased student and teacher demand for engaging and effective learning solutions, the need to develop digital skills and digital citizenship in modern economies, and the entry of major technology corporates and investment entities into the business of education. Global expenditure is forecast to reach US$220b by 2017.

  “Asia- Pacific is expected to be one of the leading regions for growth of edtech. Education New Zealand is keen to work with those companies with smart content and technology to capitalise on that demand,” says Clive Jones, General Manager of Business Development at Education New Zealand.

  Education technology converts traditional education systems into automated virtual learning environments through web-based courses, assessment materials, online tutoring, professional development, and data management systems.

  Visit www.edtechforexport.co.nz for more information, to check out the programme and to register

• Bold gaokao reforms announced

  The changes will see the removal of streaming – a policy which has been in place since 1957 – allowing students greater flexibility in subject choices to count toward their final score. Higher education admission processes are also slated to change.

  Common subjects remain

  Under the current gaokao system, students must study Chinese language, maths and a foreign language (usually, but not exclusively, English). Students will continue to study these common subjects.

  While the three common subjects will be tested at a ‘unified date’, many provinces will allow students to take two separate exams for English and submit their best result.

  Streaming abolished

  The reforms will remove the policy of streaming students into the arts stream or the science stream in their second year of senior high school. Instead, students will study a mix of arts and science subjects.

  More subjects introduced

  As well as the three common subjects, the reforms will see students study 11 others. The 11 subject areas will likely vary between provinces.

  While students must study all 11 subjects, only three results from six identified subjects – history, geography, politics, chemistry, biology and physics – will count toward their overall gaokao score. The three results may be a student’s best results and/or be from subject areas which align well with their future study plans.

  The 11 subjects will be assessed based on a ranking system, with students awarded a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ grade. How the rankings will be converted into scores for the overall gaokao score is an area that will be clarified through implementation plans.

  These changes will likely see students prioritise particular subjects based on their future study plans.

  Change in admission processes

  The admission processes of China’s higher education institutions will also change. The reforms encourage institutions to adopt a multidimensional enrolment system; to look beyond a singular focus on gaokao results to include ‘academic performance’ and ‘overall qualities’ in their assessments.

  With the removal of streaming, it is likely that Chinese higher education institutions will provide students with greater clarity as to the subject requirements they must meet to apply for specific fields of study – for example, a higher score in politics may be more important for students seeking to study law than biology.

  Another change relates to the ‘extra points’ policy. This policy saw students with strengths in sports or artistic pursuits awarded bonus points for the gaokao and thus a better chance of entering top universities. This policy will be removed from 2015.

  Implementation

  The China Ministry of Education has designated Shanghai municipality and Zhejiang province as pilot areas for the reforms. Implementation will begin later this year for first year students at senior high schools.

  Both Shanghai and Zhejiang are expected to publish implementation plans in the coming months which will outline in greater detail how the reforms will be implemented.

  The reforms will be rolled out nationwide from 2017 and are expected to be fully implemented by 2020.

  Rationale for the change

  The reforms follow the significant debate across China about the education system’s ‘fitness for purpose’ in an era where innovation is essential for the next phase of China’s economic development.

  The reforms seek to address common criticisms of the gaokao. As Vice Minister of Education Du Yubo said, “to put it simply, we are trying to solve the problem of yi kao ding zhong shen (one exam determines one's entire life)”.

  Greater international recognition likely

  The reforms will likely stimulate an increase in the number of tertiary institutions around the world accepting gaokao for admission into degree programmes. A growing number of institutions already accept gaokao results, including seven of Australia’s Group of Eight universities.

  Education New Zealand has been working with Universities New Zealand on the acceptance of gaokao results for direct entry. We are interested in hearing from all New Zealand providers which do currently or are considering direct entry on the basis of gaokao. Email us at china@enz.govt.nz.

• PM’s Scholarships for Asia announced

  “The experience these students will have while living and studying in a different culture will stay with them for the rest of their lives,” says Peter Bull, Education New Zealand’s General Manager International.

  “While in Asia, the students will establish enduring relationships and networks that will help them to succeed in the global economy and bring benefits to New Zealand.”

  “Education relationships are two-way and having smart capable New Zealand students studying in Asia is very valuable in building capability for New Zealand's future.”

  The Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia cover overseas study, research or internships ranging from six weeks to two years at the best Asian institutions.

  Successful recipients include a group of students from Unitec who will travel to Japan with service robots they have built, a student from the University of Auckland undertaking a Masters in International Law at Seoul University, and a student with a background in primary produce markets aiming to complete a Chinese language course so he can specialise in trade between New Zealand and China.

  Since the inaugural awards in December 2013, just over 350 New Zealand students have been awarded PMSA scholarships. 

  “As well as the individual benefits, scholarship recipients act as ambassadors for New Zealand and showcase the quality of our education system wherever they go in Asia. The more Kiwis who get the chance to study overseas, the better for our own international education industry,” says Mr Bull.

  “Our students make an invaluable contribution toward raising awareness of New Zealand, giving Asian students a direct link with study in our country and representing the possibilities that are out there to experience the benefits of an international education.” 

  Applications are now open for the next round of scholarships and close on 30 March 2015. Visit the PMSA pages to find out more about eligibility and the application process, and for a list of all scholarship recipients to date.

• Sister Schools Fund open

  The fund is open to all New Zealand schools. Grants of approximately $2,000 - $3,000 per school will be awarded to successful schools to establish new sister school relationships, or to strengthen existing relationships, with a focus on sister cities/provinces.

  The fund was announced during the Joint Working Group which took place during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to New Zealand in November 2014.

  This initiative will support schools to deliver on the Government’s Leadership Statement for International Education, which seeks to increase New Zealanders’ skills and knowledge to operate effectively across cultures. The fund also delivers an outcome from the School Sector International Education Roadmap, in which schools expressed a desire to grow institutional partnership channels with offshore schools.

  A sister school partnership is a planned collaboration designed to offer the partners mutual benefit. Applicants need to explain how their planned activity will contribute to strong sister school relationships which foster learning opportunities, cross-cultural skills development and friendship between our two countries.

  Activities may include (but need not be limited to);

  • staff and/or student exchange

  • curriculum-based collaborative projects

  • enhanced language programmes.

• South Canterbury welcomes Thai agent

  What was the purpose of Pear’s visit to South Canterbury?

  Education South Canterbury is working on developing an MOU with Thai schools introduced to us by Pear. She was in South Canterbury specifically to familiarise herself with our schools and to experience the region as the students do. She visited each of Education South Canterbury’s member schools and met with students at each one.

  How did Pear’s visit fit in with Education South Canterbury’s goals?

  Thailand is a focus market and an important and valuable partner for Education South Canterbury.

  In the Education South Canterbury strategic plan we are working to develop capability and support the government goals for 2025.

  As we are developing an MOU with schools in Thailand that Pear works with, we felt that the familiarisation visit would give her a strong understanding of the educational experiences offered by institutions and the student lifestyle here in the region.

  Education South Canterbury was delighted to give Pear a first-hand experience of the region, so that she can support and promote the special features of the programmes that we offer.  

  What did Pear see and experience during her visit?

  Pear’s visit started with a welcome dinner with the members of Education South Canterbury and included a lunch hosted by the Mayor.

  We wanted to give Pear the opportunity to experience the activities that our students take part in while studying in the region – she went to a country cafe complete with farmyard animals, and mini golf and afternoon tea with Thai students currently studying at a local school and Aoraki Polytechnic.

  Pear visited the Te Ana Rock Art Centre and was very impressed with the cultural history of the region

  Unfortunately, the planned trip to Tekapo for a jet boat ride had to be cancelled due to gale force winds! So, that gave her first-hand experience of New Zealand’s changeable weather patterns.

  Pear stayed in Geraldine and Timaru, getting a taste of both town and country lifestyles, and experiencing both homestay and motel accommodation, further strengthening her insights in to the student and parent experience.

  What did Pear enjoy most?

  Pear really enjoyed the chance to meet all of the Education South Canterbury members and develop relationships with the International Directors at each of the institutions.

  She loved meeting the current students and felt their enthusiasm and honest feedback was really valuable. 

  In Geraldine Pear loved looking at the stars after we had been out for a meal. With no light pollution she had some great views of the Milky Way – the clear night air almost magnifies the vista.  This is something Pear just doesn’t get to see in the large cities of Thailand.

  What did you learn about Thailand from Pear?

  All Education South Canterbury members are familiar with Thailand and have visited regularly, so we were especially pleased to get specific information about the schools we are dealing with and the expectations around our MOU from the Thai schools’ perspective. We really appreciated Pear’s forthrightness in working through the specifics of the process.

  How are you maintaining the relationship now that Pear’s gone home?

  We have been in regular email contact with Pear since her return to Thailand, and we are planning an Education South Canterbury group delegation visit in early September to see Pear and visit NZ Study.

  What do you see as unique about South Canterbury education and culture?

  In South Canterbury we don’t just do international education, we internationalise our education.

  South Canterbury offers an authentic small town Kiwi experience, where all students are known in the school and warmly embraced by the wider community. Students get an individual and intimate experience – they are all made to feel special and develop lifelong friendships with Kiwi students and homestay families.

  The experience is very much a two-way exchange between the international students and the Kiwi students.  The visiting students opened our Kiwi students’ eyes to their lifestyle, culture and life experiences… so becoming the educators of our students! 

  South Canterbury is “New Zealand at your back door”. We offer beaches, mountains, rivers and diverse landscapes – outdoor excitement with a sense of security. In South Canterbury, you can travel from the Southern Alps to the ocean in two hours or less.

  Students in Education South Canterbury schools learn in the environment. Field trips and outdoor pursuits take them out into the real New Zealand and they are immersed in the environment they are learning about.

  Students in South Canterbury schools can embrace the arts – music and theatre, orchestras, brass bands and sing in New Zealand award-winning choral groups.

  No matter what students want to pursue, South Canterbury offers the opportunity!

  

  L – R: Julie McLean, Pear and Mayor of Timaru, Damon Odey

• New Zealand’s agriculture training pique’s interest of Moroccan delegation

  The delegation was led by Amine Mounir Alaoui, who is the head of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Executive Vice President of the OCP Foundation. The university was set up by Moroccan phosphate exporting company, Office Chérifien des Phosphates. During their visit the group visited Waikato, Auckland, Massey and Lincoln universities, as well as meeting with government agencies, Universities New Zealand and research partners in the new Lincoln Hub.  Education New Zealand facilitated the visit. 

  The main purpose of the visit was to explore the potential for cooperation in the agriculture and agri-tech area for the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University’s new School of Agriculture.  They were impressed with the capability and applied/industry-based approach of the New Zealand universities, and were especially interested in research cooperation and the potential for student exchange, study abroad, PhD study and teacher training. 

  Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is less than three years old, but it has ambitious plans to be the leading institute in Africa with 10,000 students enrolled by 2025.  It is a state of the art university located in the new city of Benguerir, close to Marrakech, and hosts three living labs – the new green city itself, a local phosphate mine and an industrial plant. 

  The delegation promoted Morocco as a secure gateway to Africa and a bridge to western countries. 

  Now that links have been made, the focus will be on identifying some key areas of research collaboration and gradual expansion of the education partnerships – perhaps more simmer than spice, but still warmer than a zero degree Lincoln day!