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Around the world in five
AUSTRALIA
Sydney launches draft international education action plan
Sydney has launched a draft international education action plan, including programmes and funding to welcome international students to Sydney, promote their health and wellbeing and increase employability.
GLOBAL
International students’ tuition fees are a double-edged sword
Tuition fees are among the most hotly debated issues in higher education policy discussions. At least 10 OECD countries have implemented reforms in this area since 2010, as evidence suggests foreign students are less willing to select a host country with high tuition fees.
MIDDLE EAST
Jordan to recognise overseas degrees
To help Jordian students understand foreign accreditations and encourage them to choose reputable institutions when studying abroad, Jordan is set to recognise degrees earned at universities overseas.
GLOBAL
Era of internationalisation of higher education coming to an end?
The growth of internationalisation – including massive global student mobility, the expansion of branch campuses, joint degrees, the use of English as a language for teaching and research – appears to have come to an end in Europe and North America.
INDIA
Web portal for students to combat fraudulent agents and bogus courses
The Indian government is launching a web portal to protect its international students from getting duped by fraudulent agents and bogus courses. The website will list accredited universities and supply verified information on visa norms in a range of countries favoured by Indian students.
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Meet the team: Marie Clark, Director Insights
Tell us about your role, the team you lead, and what your team does at ENZ for the international education sector.
I’m Marie, Director Insights for Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao. I lead the research and market analysis to provide insights that underpin ENZ’s work. This includes student experience, brand health, economic value, and New Zealander’s perceptions of international education.
We are a small team of five analysts and researchers but pack a lot of punch if I do say so myself. We are lucky enough to work with a range of teams across ENZ as well as the wider sector. Our findings are shared with our stakeholders and our education partners so that they can use this to make informed decisions about the future delivery of their international education products and services. Much of our work is on an annual basis, meaning that each year we are looking for any small changes that might turn into long-term term trends. For example:
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in the international student experience survey, we want to look more at the people and connections and mental health. If we spot changes, providers may like to adjust their support for students.
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through our perceptions work we want to understand, as international students return to New Zealand, if the way New Zealanders perceive the challenges and benefits of international students is changing. If we spot changes, we will work with providers to bring those benefit stories to the forefront.
Where were you working before joining the ENZ team?
I am a returning New Zealander, having spent the last 15 years in the United Kingdom, working in a range of insights, marketing, and communications roles in higher education. My most recent UK role was at Independent Higher Education, the representative and lobbying body for independent higher education, professional training and international pathway providers. Previously I worked for a policy communications consultancy, Hobsons, now QS Enrolment Solutions, and The PIE.
Tell us what the team has been working on since you joined and how the sector can access this?
I joined ENZ in October 2022 and since then have led the delivery of several key pieces of research and reports. Some recent highlights for me are releasing our insights on the 2013 – 2023 (part year) International Student Enrolment data, 2023 International Student Experience Survey and the 2023 New Zealanders Perceptions of International Students 2023.
We share all of our research, data and insights on ENZ's Intellilab and I would encourage anyone to sign up, if you haven't already. We also post links to past webinars that we have held in which we share our latest research and insights.
For those that are interested in being able to take a closer look at the data, we do share some data that has been officially released to Tableau Public.
What can the sector expect to see from the Insights team in the next 12 months?
Our team will be very busy over these next 12 months as we undertake a range of surveys and then following the fieldwork will be diving into the data and compiling insights reports, presentations and hosting webinars for the sector to take them through this. To name just a few taking place over the next two quarters, we will be working on the: International Student Experience Survey 2024, Brand Health 2024, a sector survey, agent survey, and the New Zealanders perception of International Education 2024 survey. Phew!
So, watch this space here on E-News, via our Sector Engagement Team, or Intellilab where we will share our insights with the sector. If anyone in the sector has a query about past or future research opportunities or wants to organise an insights session with your organisation or stakeholders, then feel free to reach out to me and my team – insights@enz.govt.nz.
Tell us what you like to do when you’re out of the office and not nose-deep in international education data...
I am still enjoying settling back into New Zealand. It’s a period of both discovery and rediscovery. Weekends are spent catching up with old friends and spending plenty of time with family, adjusting my two young children to the kiwi lifestyle. I am a convert to cycling for transport and can be seen zooming all over Wellington, and sometimes further afield, on my electric cargo bike.
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Signing up to a bright future for the Deaf community
A serious encounter with Ménière’s disease partway through his PhD studies was a life-changing event in more ways than one for Arash Tayebi.
The inner ear disorder resulted in him losing the hearing in one ear and facing up to the possibility he could become deaf in the future. Studying at Auckland University, and feeling far from his home in Iran, he says the experience hit him hard.
But Arash turned one of the biggest challenges in his life into an opportunity. He became the driving force behind Kara Technologies, an award-winning start-up using digital sign language avatars to make communications of all kinds accessible to those with hearing issues.
His own situation made him question the noticeable lack of deaf people studying at universities, becoming entrepreneurs, and holding leadership positions in the workplace. “I asked myself if I become completely deaf will I not be able to succeed in study and work?”
Engaging with the Deaf community he learned of the real shortage of teachers of sign language, and the complexities in resolving that. Bringing in teachers from overseas is not the answer because they do not know New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). Closed captioning, which can automatically caption speech is of limited use as young children cannot read, and existing avatars are not expressive enough for Deaf people.
“I said let’s work together to come up with a solution.”
Turning a vision into reality
What started as a small project with Kelston Deaf Education Centre, now part of Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education New Zealand, ultimately morphed into Kara Technologies. But it took vision, determination, and “mind-blowing” support from people he met along the start-up journey.
"The cool thing about New Zealand is that if you have a vision nobody will call you crazy, they’re here to help and happy to take a risk. That’s fantastic."
“There was so much I needed to learn about running a business. I wasn’t rich, so I needed funding. And as the concept was new, I needed the support of the Deaf community.”
Arash’s first break came when Kara Technologies was named Social Enterprise winner in Auckland University’s start-up business competition Velocity $100K Challenge in 2017, giving him access to seed funding and a mentorship programme. Then there was UniServices, which helps to commercialise promising student ventures through investment, advice, and connections. And in the wider community there was GridAKL, an innovation support community with a downtown campus. “If I had a problem, I could always find someone there who was happy to offer advice,” he says.
Estimates of NZSL users vary significantly, from about 4000 for whom it is a first language to more than 20,000 who have some knowledge of it. Arash and his team are committed to their vision of improving meaningful access to information for the Deaf community, and they are already making an impact.
Kara Technologies has produced a diverse suite of avatars, signed children’s books and a range of videos. It has been recognised many times for its innovative work, most recently being named a 2022 finalist in the Public Good category at the NZ Hi-Tech Awards.
Looking to the future
The team at Kara sees a future where TV shows, bank machines, travel websites, online registration forms, live theatre, social media, gaming, and virtual reality technologies are all equipped with sign language avatars. “We want the daily life of a Deaf person to be as easy as a hearing person,” Arash says.
The company is currently trialling emergency messaging by using a set of pre-recorded motion-captured animations, making it possible to relay time-critical information quickly.
Kara is already attracting interest in the US and Canada, where Deaf advocates are excited by the technology. “They are impressed that a small country can make such a contribution. It makes me proud because I call New Zealand home.”
Arash says it’s hard to believe the decision he made to come to New Zealand to study in 2013 has led to where he is now. “I thought I would probably complete my PhD and end up in an academic teaching role. But I have a company, a team, a vision, and fantastic friends. It’s all happened because of the great support I’ve received here.”
He only wishes it was easier for innovators like him to stay on when they finished their studies. He would love New Zealand to introduce a Talent visa like Australia and Canada have. “If you have a cool project they will welcome you, but in New Zealand, you need to secure a job. I already have a job, but it is in my own company,” he says.
“When New Zealand encourages international students to come here it needs to be able to harness their talent, nurture them, and benefit from their talent.”
But Arash says he would always encourage students to come here. “Take yourself out of your comfort zone and you will meet amazing people. New Zealand is a crazy, creative country which could easily be your second home.”
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NZTC brings ECE teaching to Malaysia
NZTC’s three-year Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) degree has been approved for delivery in Malaysia through Kolej Dika – a respected specialist early childhood teacher education provider.
NZTC Chief Executive Selena Fox said this makes NZTC the first New Zealand tertiary education provider to have a degree accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency and the Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education.
“This achievement is of international importance for New Zealand and Malaysia, celebrating innovation, shared commitment to excellence and creating opportunity for a specialised degree in Malaysia for teachers of young children,” said Ms Fox.
NZTC is New Zealand’s largest provider of early childhood teacher education.
Malaysian diploma students can now upgrade to NZTC’s internationally recognised and accredited degree to teach, educate and care for children and families.
“NZTC has been working on establishing educational relationships in Malaysia for a number of years and it will be exciting to see these relationships grow to a new level in the years ahead,” said Fox.
The Bachelor of Education (ECE) is also the first New Zealand qualification to be approved for National Higher Education Fund loans for Malaysian students.
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