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More than money
International education post-COVID-19 must promote global understanding and co-operation .
By Fion Choon Boey Lim
The years 2020 and 2021 so far have been tough for many . There is no denying that countries and industries have been affected at different levels since the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019 . For Australia , the impact on international education has been alarming . The number of international students arriving onshore continues to fall with no sign of when the borders will open .
As our politicians continue to tussle with universities around when to open the doors for international students , a key pattern is that the year-long discussion has focused mainly on the revenue international students bring to the sector
AUSTRALIA HAS A GOOD TRACK RECORD IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
We have been good in ‘ internationalisation ’, at the very least when it comes to branding . The Australian international student enrolment report , including on those studying offshore , shows that there were around 4 million enrolments with the Australian higher education sector each year before COVID struck .
If we look back over the previous five years , that ’ s an astonishing 20 million international students . So one would think that when it comes to accepting different
perspectives , despite cultural differences , we as a nation or university sector would be inclusive and grown in our international understanding and perspective .
We have claimed to be ‘ internationalised ’, ‘ diversified ’ and ‘ globalised ’ from our experience with international students , but we have really primarily focused on revenue . The desire for mutual benefit or understanding with those nations from which we have attracted international students ( including those in offshore offerings ) has been minimal . In addition , under the pressure of COVID-19 , economic tension and political fiction , suspicion about other nations has grown .
Despite years of successfully attracting very large numbers of international students , we do not seem to focus our public debate and discussion on the understanding of their cultures , perspectives , or needs . Instead , we appear to increasingly perceive difference as either lesser or dangerous . It could be argued that international education is just another form of academic colonialism and that academic ethnocentricity is alive and well .
RETHINKING THE VALUE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION AS AN ENGINE TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
Western countries such as the US , UK and Australia have been magnets for students eager to experience an international education .
If there is a silver lining on the COVID crisis , it is that the pandemic
It could be argued that international education is just another form of academic colonialism .
has highlighted that differences matter little when all of humanity is in the face of a shared crisis . Whether different or similar in culture , language , ideologies or political preference , we co-exist on the same earth . For this and related reasons , there is a need to learn to better accommodate differences and strive for betterment for all .
We could start by increasing a sense of our global citizenship . International education will not go away , but the form and how we do this “ business ” will undoubtedly change . Australian higher education has the experience and the potential to do better than we have done in the past . Perhaps our drive to survive financially will lead us to a change in mindset and recognition of the potential of international education to promote global citizenship .
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any institutions that the author is associated with . ■
Associate Professor Fion Choon Boey Lim is the director of the UTS Learning Centre ( SILC ) at University of Technology , Sydney .
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