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• Education in the spotlight during Governor-General’s visit to Viet Nam

  

  Sir Jerry Mateparae attended two major education events during this visit.  In Hanoi the New Zealand Embassy and ENZ hosted a “New Zealand Education Connections” event, which for the first time ever in Viet Nam, brought together New Zealand alumni from different parts of the Vietnamese economy and society.

  About 250 private students, NZ Aid scholarship recipients and recipients of English Language Teaching for Officials (ELTO) were represented at the event. New Zealand teachers in Viet Nam were also well represented.

  The Governor-General spoke about the value of education as a bridge builder for long term relationships and connections between the two countries.  In all of his meetings with senior Vietnamese leaders and officials stronger education collaboration was emphasised as a key priority for New Zealand’s relationship with Viet Nam.

  

  In Ho Chi Minh City (which accounts for about 60 percent of all Vietnamese students to New Zealand), Sir Jerry Mateparae delivered an address to 170 students, staff and senior Vietnamese officials at the University of Science, which is part of the Vietnamese National University. The University has nine faculties with around 652 professors and more than 16,000 students.  

  Auckland University of Technology has a joint programme with the University of Science, delivering a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences (BCIS). There are 130 students enrolled in the programme, in addition to the 250 graduates of this programme.

  At this event, the Governor-General spoke about the importance of partnerships in education, not only between governments, but also between New Zealand and Vietnamese institutions.  Senior officials present expressed the hope that in future there would be more New Zealand and Vietnamese universities engaged in the kind of collaboration demonstrated by AUT and the University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City.Both events attracted plenty of media attention, and helped to raise the profile of New Zealand as an education partner for Viet Nam in advance of the New Zealand education fairs taking place in September.

• ENZ 4 copy for enews website

• Agent Event Malaysia

• Protected Disclosures Protection of Whistleblowers Procedure

• NZQA brochures now in Spanish and Japanese

  The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) has developed a suite of language translations to promote NCEA study in New Zealand. Alongside the English language version, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai and German translations are available. The translations feature NCEA student success stories and the future study plans of these students.

  The brochure can also be downloaded from the NZQA website at the following links:

  http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new-zealand/secondary-school-and-ncea/

  http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/publications/nzqa-brochures/

  Free copies can be requested by contacting the NZQA Communications Team at coms@nzqa.govt.nz

• PR2425 190 Briefing to the Incoming Minister February 2025

• New resource on the Brand Lab

  "Peking University’s New Zealand Centre (which involves several of our universities and government agencies) runs this undergraduate course which students take to earn foreign language credits (and because of their interest in New Zealand, of course).  Enrolments have grown year-on-year, with 75 students now taking this class.

  In the past, I have delivered a more academic lecture on New Zealand’s education system, including on policies and reform.  And in the past, this has been met with glazed eyes.  So in a break with tradition I decided to make the session more interactive and incorporate some of the tools we now have at our disposal.  I gave an informal “why study in New Zealand” presentation, then moved on to showing the New Zealand Story and New Zealand Education Story.

  We then broke into small groups (just like we do in New Zealand classrooms and tutorials), and students worked on the task I had set:  to discuss and agree on “what three words best exemplify what is ‘special’ about New Zealand education.”

  And I was blown away by the responses.  Each group came up to write its words on the blackboard, and common themes included innovation, openness, diversity, inspiring, and opportunity.  Our messaging is clearly resonating.

  After then watching some of ENZ’s Gibson Group-produced Dragons in a Distant Land alumni episode (and remembering far too late that I have a cameo in it), I asked each group to explain its three words.  And again – I was blown away.  The willingness of these students to contribute their thoughts and to ask questions – in English, in public - with a second member from one group even volunteering additional thoughts – really impressed me.  The course coordinators were also very pleasantly surprised. 

  As products of New Zealand’s education system, volunteering our thoughts, asking questions and speaking in public come naturally to us.  This isn’t so in every education system.  

  Almost best of all, the course was that day being audited by a very senior Peking University Professor.  She stood up at the end and said, “I did my PhD in economics at the University of Chicago.  After today, I want my grandchild to go and study in NZ”.

  I always give the class my email address, and as of right now have received five enquiries from these students at China’s top-ranked university.  I have also had to courier additional blocks of Whittaker’s chocolate.  Each of the nine groups deserved a prize.

  A Chinese subtitled version of the New Zealand Education Story is now available on the Brand Lab, so I encourage you to use this when next in China or hosting Chinese visitors.”

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• IEGF success key to Chile market

  Vital English’s success in Chile started in mid-2012 when ENZ staff introduced Vital English to STEP, an institute associated with the University of Santo Tomas that regularly tenders for Chilean Government bids in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

  Through this introduction, Vital English was able to identify an opportunity for developing an ESOL product based on an existing Vital English course that would be suitable for upskilling Chilean primary and secondary school teachers.

  Just a few months later, Vital English and STEP were involved in a Chilean Government pilot involving 380 teachers. The pilot saw teachers improve their Test of English for International Communication scores by one or more levels on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in three months.

  Given that success, the Chilean Government sought to extend the pilot to a 12 month course in 2013 involving 4000 teachers.

  Vital English was under pressure to rapidly develop new content to meet the needs of this bid and attend a number of meetings with Chilean Government officials. While both STEP and Vital English could recognise the scope of the opportunity, neither party had sufficient resources available to meet these requirements within the required timeframe.

  “Fortunately, the IEGF was announced”, says Adrian. “Winning an IEGF has provided enough of a financial boost to allow Vital English to develop the required content and get to market quickly to maximise the opportunity.

  “The result of being able to respond quickly to the requirements of the Chilean Government has, without question, strengthened our position there and accelerated our ability to grow the market. It has led to Vital English being invited to participate in a further bid for providing ESL to 1000 secondary school students.

  “Vital English is now participating in three different Chilean Government bids worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. More importantly, the lessons learned from the partnerships formed, have opened the door to a new business model that Vital English is well positioned to maximise.”

  For more information on the IEGF, click here.

  About Vital English

  Vital English is a supplier of digital support products for international students throughout the student engagement lifecycle; from helping institutions build awareness in the market to communicating with alumni digitally. Central to the Vital Suite of products is a catalogue of online and blended English courses. Vital English supply these products globally working with institutions in New Zealand, Canada, Australia, South East Asia and the Americas.

  Vital English is happy to share more feedback from lessons learned in Chile. Please contact Adrian Sallis for more information. adrian.sallis@vitalenglish.com

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