The bimonthly guide to all things International Education |
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Welcome to the fifth edition of The Source - The Lygon Group’s regular newsletter filled with insight and analysis. For detail of what each edition will bring you, visit our first issue of The Source here. In this edition: The Big Picture: Back in the game What will a Biden-Harris administration do? What should Australia do in response? Breaking news: early signs of sentiment shifting in favour of the USA
A Closer Look at China: Graduates in China struggle to find careers – but talent shortages exist Students with scholarships to study abroad given one-year extension Studies show conflicting predictions about Chinese students' desire to study abroad after COVID-19
In Case you Missed It: More than 7000 Chinese students fly into Manchester on chartered flights Several nations issue guidance on managing internationalisation risks Inquiry into national security risks affecting the Australian higher education and research sector
What we’re Thinking About: |
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Episode 4: A Federation What logistics are involved in getting a pilot program up and running, and how are international education leaders navigating differing state, territory and federal government requirements in this pandemic-era? | | |
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Get in touch to talk about how we can help you and your organisation. |
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Back in the game The outcome of the US election changes everything for America’s international education sector. Higher education has been hit hard, with revenue and enrolments falling, massive COVID-19 outbreaks on campuses returning for the new school year (should we go home for Thanksgiving, or will that spread the virus? Same situation for the Spring break). Mainly, international education has been under assault. Until now. What will a Biden-Harris administration mean for international education in the US, and how will Australia be impacted? The second part of that question is the easiest to answer: another of our biggest competitors is back in the game. Yes, COVID-19 is out of control in the US right now, and we all hope and need that country to resolve the pandemic. But, the US is a magnet for international students the world over, and the Biden-Harris administration is the release valve required to re-establish its appeal. The first part of that question is also sort of easy to answer. International education has been under assault in the US over the past four years and the pandemic has made it worse. Just think: A virus raging out of control on US soil Chinese students and researchers arrested and surveilled disproportionate to the perceived threat they pose Immigration crackdowns, and yes arrests, focussed on the OPT visa program (the equivalent of our post-study work rights visa program) Bans on visitors from all sorts of countries Proposed limits on the lengths of student visas
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What will a Biden-Harris administration do? Rehabilitate the US brand as a country that wants to play on the global stage and is open to international students Recognise international education as a driver of the US economy Review the recently proposed (crazy) limitations on international student visa length Recommit to the OPT program Reverse immigrations caps that make no economic sense, including on recent graduates of PhD programs in STEM fields in the U.S And a lot more (pending Congressional cooperation of course)
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What should Australia do in response? The last thing we should do is sit still while yet another major competitor destination nation prepares to resume normal transmission. Australia finally has a COVID-19 moment we need to seize: Our post-study work rights visa program is superior to the US equivalent COVID-19 in Australia is under control We offer better pathways into our world class universities We offer international students a superior lifestyle (how many proper Asian groceries/restaurants/communities exist around the typical US college campus?) Australia has a stress-tested system of care for international students We are proudly multi-cultural.
Students are telling us this (scroll down to see our student insights video and see our latest polls below), university leaders are telling us this (listen to our podcast here). As we say so often, it’s time for a national re-opening plan (see TLG in the media). A good place to start would be to negotiate a travel bubble with like-minded nations who have the virus under control. They are all in the Asia Pacific: they include China. |
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Breaking news: early signs of sentiment shifting in favour of the USA - In a snap poll we commissioned of a social media community of prospective students considering Australia and current students in Australia, 4 out of 10 indicated that were considering the US as a study destination before the election. This has jumped to 6 out of 10 post-election (=500);
- And Sixth Tone is reporting on an obvious shift in sentiment towards the US amongst Chinese students in their article 'Biden win renews hope for Chinese students’ study abroad plans'.
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Graduates in China struggle to find careers – but talent shortages exist A recent report ‘University Alumni Insights: Chinese Graduate Career Development Prospects' released by LinkedIn China and Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalisation (CCG) shows new university graduates in China are continuing to have a hard time finding careers. Health care, distance learning and legal industries have been less affected by the pandemic, and the number of people they are recruiting has remained relatively stable. The analysis found there is a shortage of talent in the transportation and logistics, media and education sectors. The Chinese government is adding policy support such as expanding the hiring by state-owned enterprises. Earlier in October, the National Bureau of Statistics said an unspecified unemployment rate for 20 – 24 year holds holding at least a college degree was 4 percentage points higher in September than a year ago. China, however, will likely be the only major economy to grow this year, while the world contracts, according to the International Monetary Fund. The CCG report predicts foreign-educated Chinese people will retain an edge in a China that has still expressed willingness to open up its economy further to foreign businesses, despite recent warning signals to Australian industry. |
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Students with scholarships to study abroad given one-year extension The Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) announced that Chinese students who are approved to receive government funding to study abroad before 31 December 2020 can apply for a one-year extension. The move has been positively received by students who are still in China and is a sign of encouragement about the Chinese government’s continued desire for citizens to receive an international education. |
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Studies show conflicting predictions about Chinese students' desire to study abroad after COVID-19 A recent online survey of 2739 university students conducted by Lingnan University in Hong Kong found that only 16 per cent of respondents have plans to pursue postgraduate studies abroad. These results are in some contrast to a recent study by the Chinese think tank The Center for China and Globalization which showed Chinese students’ fundamental desire to study abroad had not declined, despite a temporary drop as a result of health and safety concerns and visa restrictions. One thing 2020 has taught us (among many things!) is that crystal-ball gazing about student decision-making following the pandemic is complex business. Changing domestic and global economies, geopolitics, concerns about health, safety, border closures, reports of xenophobia and the spread of the virus itself form an extremely fluid context for gauging potential future decision making. We are keeping a firm eye on the impact of COVID-19 on pushing forward trends towards intra-regional student mobility within Asia. The Lingnan study cited above found that Hong Kong was the second most popular post-COVID study destination for Chinese students, just behind the US and ahead of the UK. The research found that the pandemic is shifting the mobility flow of international students and that East Asian countries and regions are facing more opportunities in the post-pandemic context. |
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More than 7000 Chinese students fly into Manchester on chartered flights More than 7,000 students from China have arrived for their studies at universities across the North of England following a huge multi-agency effort in the UK and China, led by organisations from Greater Manchester. In total 31 chartered flights were organised between Chongqing Jiangbei Airport and Manchester Airport to transport the students. Further planned flights have been suspended from November 8, with an aim to restart flying in January with students working remotely until they can travel. |
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Several nations issue guidance on managing internationalisation risks Governments and institutions across Europe have recently issued guidance on security risks associated with international research collaboration. Universities UK has published detailed guidance for institutions on the considerations and measures they should take to guard against hostile interference and promote academic freedom. The new guidance aims to support institutional leaders to better protect themselves, their staff and students and manage risks associated with international partnerships. Leiden University in The Netherlands issued China-specific guidance to protect the security and academic freedom of their staff and students. The German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) which represents 268 German universities released guidance in September citing “necessary courses of action specific to the cooperation with China.” The issuing of sector-led guidance differs from the Australian approach to potential security risks and research collaboration. The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee’s proposed Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill will require universities to register all collaborations and agreements with foreign universities that are not ‘independent’ with a new Federal government register for scrutiny. |
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Inquiry into national security risks affecting the Australian higher education and research sector The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced an inquiry into national security risks affecting the Australian higher education and research sector with terms of reference from the Minister for Home Affairs. The Committee is seeking information on the prevalence of foreign interference, data theft and espionage and the sector’s awareness of foreign interference. Submissions are due 18 December 2020. |
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Border reopening: What does it mean for universities and for students?
The approval of pilot re-entry programs for international students into Northern Territory and South Australia was a sign of some hope for our sector. Since the borders closed early in the year, all Australian universities have had a challenge in front of them - to work together with institutions in their jurisdiction and with various state, territory and federal government agencies to build proposals for the safe return of students. We spoke to DVCs and PVCs International across Australia to talk to them about what this process has involved and where they think efforts should be placed as the sector plans for re-entry. These insights from leaders in the sector are available for you to listen to via our podcast - The Source Pod. After speaking with university leaders about border closures and the processes of building a pilot reentry program, we spoke to international students to get their perspective on these same issues. We asked current and prospective students what they know about re-opening borders. The responses indicated that the announcement made during Minister Frydenberg’s budget address this year that “borders will remain closed till late 2021” was heard by international students. The students we spoke to were actively and regularly looking for information on border reopening—but they were starting to really focus on official government messaging as their sole source of reliable information. Students are keen for information from reliable government and official sources. And they felt there was little forthcoming. This resonated with our conversations with university DVCs International who were calling for national leadership and consistency around messaging across jurisdictions. We asked students how the closed borders affected them. Their responses were concerning. Students spoke about stress and loneliness. They spoke about putting a timeframe around when they’d start considering moving to the UK or Canada if the borders don’t reopen. They spoke about missed opportunities for friends and family to visit Australia and travel and concern about making the decision to go home for the summer and risk not being able to re-enter Australia. Students spoke about missing out on essential facilities and resources on campuses and expressed concern about the quality of online learning. Our university leaders recognise the urgency at play here. There is a recognition of the vital importance of international students in our communities and our economies and a consistent theme this year that our sector needs to tell this story louder. At The Lygon Group we consider it essential to ensure we are hearing the experiences and priorities of both institutions and students. We bridge the gap. Watch our short student insights video below. Listen to The Source Pod here. |
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