International education initiatives detail announced

Education Minister Trevor Mallard today released further detail about international study exchanges, awards and other government initiatives designed to lift New Zealand’s overseas profile and strengthen the international education sector.

“I’m pleased to announce more details today around the implementation of the $40 million Budget 2004 package for international education," Trevor Mallard said at the Education New Zealand conference in Auckland.

“The industry body Education New Zealand will continue to take the lead in promoting international education, and will manage the promotion funding and innovation funding allocated in the 2004 Budget," Trevor Mallard said.

"The innovation funding will support new product and service development, relationship and partnership development, and help to co-ordinate and support the network of institutions and providers involved in offshore education.

"A second offshore education counsellor will be established in Washington from 1 July 2005, on top of the already announced position in Beijing. This position will focus on building New Zealand’s profile and reputation in the United States and in facilitating links between institutions,” Trevor Mallard said.

"In 2005 the focus for the scholarships programme will be on post-graduate students. Countries targeted in this first year, for both the overseas student scholarships and for New Zealanders to study abroad, will be China, Korea and ASEAN countries, and three Latin American which have with good prospects for growth in postgraduate student numbers: Chile, Mexico, and Brazil.

"Our government is keen to attract more top students here for tertiary study. We are also keen for students to come here who might contribute to our strategies for growth and innovation in the economy.

"The study abroad awards in 2005 will increase the opportunities for selected New Zealand tertiary students to study or undertake research abroad in key areas such as science, creative industries, and languages - again because these areas are a focus for our growth and innovation strategy. Our government is focusing on innovation, education, training and skills migration as the springboards for growth and development."

The undergraduate component of the scholarships package will start in the 2006 academic year. In 2006 the focus for the scholarships and study abroad awards will expand to include Japan, North America, Europe and the Middle East.

More detail on the Budget 2004 package is below. See also Trevor Mallard's full speech to the conference on http://www.beehive.govt.nz/mallard

International Education initiatives from Budget 2004

The Budget 2004 international education package totalled an extra $40 million over four years.

It provided: funding for up to four off-shore education counsellors; funding for up to 100 postgraduate and 100 undergraduate scholarships to attract top international students to New Zealand. Applications will be open to students from those countries in research-based post-graduate programmes in all fields of study with academic merit as the main criterion. Preference may also be given to candidates whose research will best contribute to the objectives and priorities in the government’s Growth and Innovation Framework (GIF); funding for up to 100 New Zealanders to study overseas, with academic merit and contribution to GIF objectives as key criteria; funding for generic promotion and marketing of international education, including brand evolution, development of new markets, agent training and promotion, and the development of the myenzed website; an innovation fund for international education, mainly supporting new product and service development, and relationship and partnership development in new modes and markets. Education New Zealand will manage this with oversight through an inter-agency Management Committee.

More information is available on all aspects of the international education 2004 Budget package, including the scholarship and study abroad awards, from the Ministry of Education International Policy and development Division- 463 8705; or 463-8480.

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