international education campusreview . com . au
Anecdotally , Australia still has strong drawing power – and may eventually recover to a certain degree in terms of inbound international student traffic . Field ( 2020 ) 1 suggests that given the ongoing health issues in the US and Europe , locations such as Australia , New Zealand and Canada may be ripe for a strong rebound and even possibly a significant backlog , once the situation changes .
Double bubble , toil and trouble
Examining the international student cauldron .
By Greg Whateley
The active COVID-19 situation combined with domestic and
international border restrictions put the notion of a mass return of international students to public and private tertiary providers in considerable doubt and uncertainty . Commentary on the issue of international students has varied wildly , from sheer despair to quiet optimism . Public institutions ( with some exceptions ) have fared badly , with slashes to staffing and budgets evident in the media on a daily basis .
Private institutions have had varied success . Indeed , some have remained remarkably buoyant , the result of a quick and effective use of online learning , accompanied by a more realistic and sustainable business model .
BUBBLE ONE : CLOSED INTERNATIONAL BORDERS The current pool of onshore international students ( many not actually wanting to go home given the circumstances and the relatively good COVID situation in Australia ) will inevitably dry up . In the short term , they will likely become a most highly soughtafter group that will be enticed by a range of incentives such as discounts , scholarships and all kinds of promises .
The political and ethical pressures of bringing home Australian citizens as a priority has and will curb the enthusiasm for creating international student bubbles – certainly in the short term .
The geo-political environment will also place considerable pressure on potential international students coming to Australia . My own institution currently has a large contingent from India – this will not be replenished for some time given the pandemic situation on the sub-continent .
Meanwhile , our closed international borders send an explicit message – ‘ do not apply ’. For countries such as China , India , Nepal and to a lesser extent Malaysia and Indonesia , this will continue to have an impact on potential enrolments .
BUBBLE TWO : CLOSED DOMESTIC BORDERS The key issue here is that given the severe restriction on Australian citizens moving across state and territory lines , the message also remains clear that both domestic and international students will find themselves restricted from transfer and / or travel in the short term and possibly longer .
Even if international borders were somehow opened up quicker than expected , the notion of allowing international student access would have some solid opposition domestically . This is essentially a political ‘ hot potato ’.
The recent tale of New Zealand travellers coming to Sydney and then moving seamlessly to other states around Australia created a sense of outrage in many quarters . There is currently a sensitivity surrounding such matters .
This same – or perhaps heightened – sensitivity will exist for international students while domestic border closures and restrictions remain in place .
TOIL AND TROUBLE : IS ONLINE A TEMPORARY SAFEGUARD OR PERMANENT SAVIOUR ?
The prestigious universities in Australia have indicated that they are faring reasonably well , given the number of international students who have remained with them online .
The University of Sydney , for example , recently downsized its pending deficit forecast , based on the number of international students who have remained enrolled online . The impact of this , in the short term at least , will be a dependence on virtual teaching and learning .
A recent report from Deloitte ( 2020 ) 2 indicated that 77 per cent of postgraduate students ( using a representative sample ) were satisfied with the online option they have been using during COVID-19 , and anticipated that a blended approach to future study post COVID-19 was likely .
My own institution found even greater support for online learning becoming the dominant method of course delivery . A survey of postgraduate students in October 2020 found that an overwhelming 92 per cent preferred to stay online rather than participate in a staged ‘ hybrid ’ return to campus . The Australian Financial Review ( 2020 ) 3 had similar findings .
Online and a future blended approach – certainly for postgraduate studies – thus appears highly likely . And this may not be a bad thing in reality . The shift , delivered in a relatively short period of time , has not been without a lot of toil and trouble . Yet it has seen the education sector as a whole walk back from the direst of predictions when the pandemic first took hold . ■
For references go to www . campusreview . com . au
Emeritus Professor Greg Whateley is currently deputy vice chancellor at Group Colleges Australia .
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