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ENZ social platforms gain momentum in China
ENZ opened its official Weibo (China’s equivalent of Twitter) and Wechat (a quasi-combination of Facebook and WhatsApp) account in August 2014. So far, we have around 60,000 followers on both platforms combined.
To increase numbers, at the annual China Education Expo in October, ENZ shared QR codes of our social media channels with visitors at the ENZ booths, accumulating 230 followers in two days. A similar approach at the China International Import Expo in November attracted a further 300 new followers.
ENZ also launched a WeChat mini-programme that helps followers to make use of the My StudyNZ tool to find and match with education providers in New Zealand.
ENZ’s Regional Director – China & North Asia, Adele Bryant, said these social platforms are a key way to connect with Chinese students. New Zealand Education Minister Chris Hipkins was very supportive of ENZ’s social media efforts during his visit to China in July.
“Despite his packed schedule, Minister Hipkins filmed a short video promoting New Zealand education to our social media communities, which was shared on the New Zealand Embassy WeChat account and received 750 views and likes.”
In addition to the social platforms, ENZ has developed a China-based student-facing website which will enable smoother access for Chinese students, parents and agents.
“The new website means students can find it in the Chinese search engine more easily as it is hosted in Chinese domain,” says Adele.
“We will launch the new website soon so stay logged on!”
If you are interested to find out more, search Education New Zealand in Chinese (新西兰教育国际推广局) to follow us on Weibo and WeChat.
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Universities India Strategy strengthened through delegation visit
A University of Auckland (UoA) delegation that visited India in late-November signed two strategic MoUs with tertiary institutions IIT Kharagpur and IIT Bombay.
The high-powered delegation led by Professor Jenny Dixon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Engagement), reinforced UoA’s long-term commitment to the Indian market.
The MoUs outline frameworks for joint research in healthcare technologies, new materials, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, as well as collaboration on joint PhD programmes.
John Laxon, ENZ’s Regional Director – South and South East Asia, Middle East endorsed UoA’s investment in academic collaboration and in-market representation.
“The majority of New Zealand universities have in-market offices and institutional partnerships, which are vital in the Indian market. Universities that have invested in these areas are attracting high-quality Indian students, by offering market-relevant qualifications and enrolment processes.”
The UoA delegation supports the Universities New Zealand (UNZ) India Strategy, announced in 2016. The Strategyhas helped lead to a 19 percent increase in Indian student university enrolments in 2017 and a further 18 percent increase in valid student visas in 2018, making India the fastest-growing university student market.
During the visit, the UoA delegation also announced four new recipients of New Zealand Excellence Awards 2018/19 (NZEA). The awardees will receive partial scholarships for the Indian students to study their Master’s programme at UoA. NZEA is jointly funded by ENZ and all eight New Zealand universities. This third edition of the awards will support thirty-five scholarships, with the awardees scheduled to arrive for the February 2019 intake.
Further India market intelligence and ENZ recommendations can be found on IntelliLab.
New Zealand High Commissioner Joanna Kempkers, Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Jenny Dixon, and successful New Zealand Excellence Award winners with faculty deans Professor Nic Smith (Engineering) and Professor John Hosking (Science).
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New Export Education Levy rates released
The levy rate for PTEs will increase from 0.45% to 0.89% of international student tuition fees, and from 0.45% to 0.50% for universities, ITPs and private schools (the levy paid by state- and state-integrated schools remains unchanged for 2019).
The new rates take effect from 1 January 2019. Payments for trimester one 2019 will be at the new rates while payments made in January or February 2019 for trimester three 2018 will be at the old rate.
The levy is collected from providers to fund a broad range of activities including marketing and promotion. It also funds reimbursements for international students caught out by Private Training Establishment (PTE) programme and provider closures.
The levy fund almost ran out this year due to pay-outs resulting from closures at PTEs.
Consultation on proposed changes to raise the EEL rate took place from 18 September to 15 October 2018.
“We have listened to feedback from the sector and have decided on a balanced approach to address some of the key concerns raised during consultation, including the financial impacts on the sector, while continuing to address the immediate financial pressures on the EELs,” said Education Minister Chris Hipkins.
“This is the first increase to the EEL in its 15 years. The Ministry of Education is doing its bit by reducing annual expenditure commitments against the levy by $300,000.”
Further work is being done to investigate ways to address other sector concerns, including recognising quality in the PTE sector. Any changes would be the subject of consultation with the sector.
For further information, see Mr Hipkins’ announcement on the Beehive website.
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Introducing International Education Sector Future Directions
“The challenge sector representatives are seeking to address is to identify a series of priorities and actions in international education that can be worked on collaboratively,” said ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson.
The programme is complementary to the recently launched cross-government International Education Strategy for New Zealand, which was co-developed by ENZ and the Ministry of Education.
“Priorities identified through the workshops include more collaboration, facilitating student pathways, joint activation of new markets offshore and prioritising the student when it comes to decision making,” said Grant.
The work was initially proposed at September’s International Education Peak Body Forum, attended by representatives of Universities New Zealand, ITP International, Quality Tertiary Institutions, Independent Tertiary Education NZ (ITENZ), English NZ, Schools International Education Business Association of NZ (SIEBA) and Independent Schools NZ.
Five sub-sector workshops were held in October and November, run by an independent facilitator, with a range of representatives attending each. Areas of common interest were fed into a pan-sector workshop at the end of November. The Peak Body Forum will govern the process from this point.
“This piece of work is a long-term project – and we plan to keep the sector as updated as possible throughout the process to ensure everyone has the chance to contribute,” said Grant.
International education providers can find the summary report of work to date in IntelliLab here, which includes information about how to get involved.
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Consultation on proposed changes to Rule 18
NZQA is consulting on the following proposed changes to the NZQF Programme Approval and Accreditation Rules 2018:
- Removing the student visa decline rate from Rule 18. This would no longer be the measure for when prior schooling with English as the language of instruction could be used as evidence of English proficiency.
- To use this provision, international students would need to have either
- a) completed their schooling in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the UK or the United States; or
- b) been awarded an internationally recognised qualification taught in English such as an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge ‘A’ Levels.
Dr Grant Klinkum, NZQA Deputy Chief Executive Quality Assurance, says the proposed changes respond to risks that NZQA and Immigration New Zealand have identified in the tertiary education sector.
“The student visa decline does not reliably reflect English language proficiency, and the countries involved had varying levels of quality within their English medium schooling options.
“We believe using prior schooling where English was the language of instruction will be a stronger indicator of English proficiency.”
NZQA is seeking feedback on the proposed changes, including what steps and how long your organisation would need to adapt to these changes, and if there are any other internationally recognised secondary qualifications taught and assessed in English that you would like to see included in Rule 18.
Consultation closes 11 February 2019.
To find out more and to complete the consultation survey, click here.
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Indian and Kiwi students explore water issues
The Untouched World Foundation’s (UWF) Waterwise Leadership and Global Citizenship Programme gave students the opportunity to learn about the entirety of the water resource chain - from primary energy players, through to farming, recreation, cultural and conservation interests.
Taking part were students and teachers from Otago secondary schools, tertiary institutions and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP). Representatives from YESPeace Youth Network in Asia also attended.
The programme involved a week of activities which included visits to lakes, rivers, vineyards and orchards, discussions with water and land use and tourism and irrigation experts, and interviews with locals.
“Youth leadership is firstly about agency – understanding the many facets of the issue, developing the transferable skills to collaborate with others, acting responsibly and then finding a clear path to actively and positively model their own views and behaviour. It is vital we all listen and engage with an international perspective on these issues,” says Mark Prain, Executive Director of UWF.
Key partners included Otago Regional Council, Otago Community Trust and Contact Energy. Further support was also provided by ENZ, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Ngai Tahu.
“Otago Polytechnic believes educating youth on key issues facing society, unlocking their unique leadership potential and inspiring them to become active change-makers is vital,” said Marc Doesburg, Otago Polytechnic Director Globalisation.
Last week’s activities are just part of a range of ongoing initiatives. An “Acts of Kindness’” Campaign is also being developed and will involve MGIEP and UWF mobilising youth in partner institutions to foster meaningful exchange of ideas, knowledge and action towards the achievement of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Organisers are aiming to establish a New Zealand-India youth leadership exchange programme with a focus on fostering youth leadership, which is a key aspect of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Global Action Programme.
For further information visit the Untouched World Foundation website
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What’s new on IntelliLab?
IntelliLab is free, easy to access and provides the latest information on student numbers and trends, market information, industry valuations, research, and insights on developments to help industry make informed decisions.
It also includes exclusive content – the reports and insights are only available to registered international education providers and New Zealand government officials.
The latest publications include:
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ENZ’s Regional Activity Plans 2019
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2018 December Visa Summary
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2018 December IV (interactive visa tool)
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2018 November Visa Summary
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2018 November IV
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2018 October Visa Summary
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2018 October IV
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2017 Sector Fact Sheets (overview of 2017 student numbers, value, fields and levels of study)
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Report on International Education Sector: Future Directions (a sector-led programme of work)
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China Skinny’s City Tier Calculator (identifies opportunities specific to China’s cities and regions)
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China Outlook Workshop Webinar and Presentation
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China FSV Decline – November Update
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International Student Average Student Value Factsheet (highlights the total economic value and average student value by market or region)
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Student visa processing update
A very large number of applications have been submitted to INZ in January for courses beginning within four weeks of the application submission date.
Jeannie Melville, INZ’s Assistant General Manager, Visa Services reminds applicants to apply for their student visa at least eight weeks before their course start date.
“For those with an application in progress, we ask that they first check the recent student visa processing times published on the INZ website before contacting INZ to seek an update on their application. Those who submitted their visa application online should also check their online account regularly to ensure they haven’t missed any communications from INZ. If INZ needs more information to decide an application, it will take longer to assess.”
During this peak student visa application period, INZ is processing applications in some additional sites in an effort to ensure applications are decided as quickly as possible.
To ensure the sector is well informed, INZ is developing improved reporting on application processing, including the volume of work in progress and expected processing times. INZ will provide this information in regular email updates to education peak bodies.
ENZ is working closely with INZ on student visa processing matters, to help providers, students and agents understand the current situation. While INZ continues to experience high volumes of student visa applications, ENZ continues to monitor market reactions and engage constructively with INZ.
Current fee paying student visa application volumes (as at 27 January 2019)
Status
Application volumes
Assessment ongoing
7430
Approved in principle
1109
Total on hand
8539
Recent processing timeframes (calculated based on fee paying student visa applications decided 28 Oct 2018-28 Jan 2019)
Provider Type
80% decided within:
90% decided within:
Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics
38 days
50 days
Private Training Establishments
36 days
47 days
Schools
15 days
25 days
Universities
21 days
31 days
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Consultation on proposed changes to vocational education in New Zealand underway
A key aim is to create a more sustainable future for the Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) sector.
The proposed reform would bring together New Zealand’s ITPs to create one new Institute of Skills and Technology, which would continue to be state-owned and funded.
ENZ’s Chief Executive Grant McPherson encourages those in the international education sector to have their say.
“Every year more than 18,000 international students choose to study at New Zealand Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) due to the quality of educational experience and career development opportunities they provide.
“Throughout 2019, we will continue to support ITPs in market, providing global marketing campaigns, events, agent training, market intelligence, agent and media familiarisation tours, lead referrals from the www.studyinnewzealand.govt.nz website, and other resources. At a regional level, we will continue to support ITPs via ENZ’s Regional Partnership Programme.
“New Zealand’s ITPs remain open for business and continue to welcome international students,” he says.
Click here to see the proposed changes and to have your say.
Public consultation is open until 5 April 2019.
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Introducing Tohu, the Study in New Zealand chatbot
Jamie Crump, ENZ’s Director Business Planning, says Tohu was designed to help prospective students on SiNZ, answering their questions in a trusted, fast and friendly way.“The goal for Tohu is to be a virtual assistant for the New Zealand international education sector by helping answer enquiries from students considering New Zealand 24/7.”
Jamie says currently Tohu can answer more than 300 questions about studying in New Zealand, but this grows with each interaction. While Tohu can only speak English, it is learning other languages, such as Mandarin, in order to service students more comfortable in their native tongue.
“Themore people that chat with it, the more it learns, making its artificial intelligence smarter every day.
“Already we’re seeing trends in commonly asked questions, including how to get a scholarship, how to get a student visa, and how to apply to study, and about New Zealand culture and the cost of study.”
The name Tohu means ‘to advise or provide guidance’ and ‘to be a sign or landmark’ while its appearance is a nod to the word Aotearoa – ‘land of the long white cloud’.
While Tohu currently lives on the SiNZ website, it will soon answer Messenger questions on the SiNZ Facebook page too.
ENZ’s next steps are to connect Tohu with ENZ’s database marketing programme and enable it to answer questions on NauMai NZ.
