Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update Vol 24, No 21

On Tuesday 17 November, Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union (TEU), Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) will be hosting the Voices of Tertiary Education – Internationalisation Forum 2020 at AUT.

The Voices of the Sector Forum 2020 brings together a range of stakeholders to discuss the issues and opportunities for internationalisation in Aotearoa. Tertiary education staff, learners, senior leaders, government officials, and business leaders will meet to focus on student experience, funding, and ways to connect on the question of international education.

The Government’s Recovery Plan for International Education aims to ‘deliver an excellent education and study experience, achieve sustainable growth and develop global citizens’ by ‘future-proofing’ the sector, and cites the significant impact on regional economies from the loss of international students and tourists.

The Recovery Plan has some promising aspirations. However to ensure a sector that supports staff, students, communities and the economic future of Aotearoa, the Government needs to address the funding shortfalls facing tertiary education institutions resulting from the ongoing loss of large numbers of international students due to border closures this year.

Funding shortfalls are currently threatening the core function and operation of public tertiary education in Aotearoa.

The Government’s Recovery Plan states ‘The sector will need to take the opportunity to not only recover but also to transform’. According to TEU Tumu Whakarae | National President Michael Gilchrist, transformation that enables our sector to thrive and support the needs of New Zealanders and international students will require increased funding to ensure positive outcomes for students,

“The sector is seeing big increases in demand domestically, but not enough to cover the funding shortfall caused by the loss of international students. We’re now seeing the support for teaching, learning and research compromised through voluntary redundancies. That has a huge impact on students as well as staff. This truly is a time for recovery through transformation, and for building a more sustainable and resilient sector. But we need to be bold, and we need to address the funding shortfalls now to protect the future of the sector”.

Also in this update:

• Proposed cuts at NMIT out-of-step with Government objectives

• TEU maintains changes to PBRF must go further

• TEU membership at VUW given a boost

Other news:

More Massey staff under threat as university looks to work with Kaplan International - Stuff

Massey shake-up: Science societies urge Govt to step in – NZ Herald

Job losses in pipeline at NMIT as Covid disruption bites - Stuff

Contingencies for cash-strapped universities - RNZ

Cash cows become sacrificial lambs - NZISA

Te Ahu o te Reo Māori Request for Proposals – Kauwhata Reo