Why Australia shouldn't abandon international education
The proposition that Australia's public universities should retreat from the international education market, including China, and focus largely or even solely on domestic students is based on a "false binary", according to a new discussion paper.
Authored by Professor John Shields from the University of Sydney Business School, the paper outlines why, in the absence of a major increase in federal government funding, a retreat from the international education market is not viable for the sector.
鈥淐ritics of the international student cohort, particularly students from China, are asking the wrong questions and failing to offer viable solutions that will ensure the sector will flourish in the future,鈥� Professor Shields, Academic Director (International) at the Business School, said.
鈥淭he key is not whether our public universities should be providers of international education, but how we do this in a way that services the needs of both domestic and international students.鈥�
The paper, , examines the Australian higher education sector鈥檚 involvement in international coursework education, and excludes analysis of academic research engagement.
Higher education: Australia鈥檚 third largest export
As part of a series of short reports prepared at the request of the Asia Taskforce, an initiative of the Business Council of Australia and Asia Society Australia, the discussion paper recognises the overreliance on students from particular markets, such as China.
It also recommends ten key actions the sector and government can take to achieve diversity and sustainability in the context of seismic shifts in learning needs, educational practice and pandemic-induced constraints on global mobility.
One of the objectives of the taskforce is to identify barriers to success in the Asia region. As Australia鈥檚 third largest export, higher education was of particular interest.
鈥淏oth the sector and the government should embrace the 鈥榟igh road鈥� and work in partnership to recover the significant loss of international students not only due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the declining Commonwealth revenue for universities,鈥� Professor Shields said.
Diversify international markets: key recommendation
Among the paper鈥檚 ten recommendation is for the government to sponsor tri-partite trade and education missions to target countries. 聽
鈥淲hile some state governments, along with Commonwealth bodies like Austrade/DFAT, have been quite supportive of the sector鈥檚 outreach to markets in China, India, Indonesia and Latin America, if the sector is to recover, it will need both tactical and moral support from both government and business,鈥� Professor Shields explained.
What is clear is that Australia鈥檚 economic recovery from the coronavirus-induced recession depends in part on ensuring that we have a vibrant higher education sector.
Professor Shields points to the example set by the UK, where the British Council organises regular international information and recruitment events promoting UK universities.
Other recommendations include diversifying the international student markets and sharpening the focus on all-round quality of the Chinese student intake.
鈥淭here is some truth to the claim that admission standards for students from China and elsewhere are too lax and this shortcoming demand immediate attention. We should aim higher. There is scope to recruit a higher proportion of students to master鈥檚 programs from graduates from the top decile of Chinese universities,鈥� said Professor Shields.
鈥淭here are some stellar examples across the sector of initiatives designed to enrich both the learning experience and the job-readiness of international students. For instance, the University of Sydney Business School鈥檚 award-winning JobSmart program, launched in 2015 to deepen opportunities for Chinese and other international postgraduate students, is now being mainstreamed through the School鈥檚 pre-experience masters programs. However, more can and should be done across the sector to enrich the learning experience of our international students.
鈥淥ne under-utilised resource with enormous potential to support a 鈥榟igh road鈥� agenda are the hundreds of thousands of Australian university alumni around the world; alumni who are both proud of their association with the sector and immensely keen to assist.
鈥淭o not enlist their energy and support, and to not reposition the sector to survive and succeed in the post-COVID world, would be to squander a rare opportunity to guarantee the future success of our universities.鈥�
Dean of the Business School, Professor Greg Whitwell, is an advisor on the Asia Taskforce and added: 鈥淥ur international students bring unique experiences and skills, which enrich the classroom experience for the whole cohort. Higher education is one of Australia鈥檚 biggest exports and it has been dramatically impacted by the pandemic.
鈥淲hat is clear is that Australia鈥檚 economic recovery from the coronavirus-induced recession depends in part on ensuring that we have a vibrant higher education sector, and this simply cannot happen without the continuing presence of large cohorts of international students.鈥�