New Zealand pledges to better protect int'l students

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, December 06, 2003

New Zealand pledges to better protect int'l students

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The New Zealand Government has announced new laws that will increase protection for international students in New Zealand, including 30,000 from the Chinese mainland, according to New Zealand embassy in China.

The move comes in the wake of two controversial school closures that left more than 1,500 Chinese students stranded.

An amendment to the Export Education Levy will allow the New Zealand Government to widen collection of funds from education providers in New Zealand so they could be used to reimburse international students if providers go out of business.

"The new law will reaffirm New Zealand's position as a quality provider of education and as a safe place for students,'' said John McKinnon, New Zealand's Ambassador to China.

"We strongly value the cultural and social links between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China. It is important to us to have Chinese students studying and living in New Zealand as it's an excellent way to build a long-term friendship and understanding between our two countries.''

Ambassador McKinnon said New Zealand takes the welfare of international students very seriously.

There are 80,000 international students in the country, whose education is of the highest quality, he said.

The government's move was made after two New Zealand schools -- the Carich Computer Training School last month and the Modern Age Institute of Learning in September -- went bankrupt and left many foreign students in dire straits.

To date most of the 1,000 Chinese students in the Modern Age Institute of Learning have been transferred to other institutions.

Pat English, New Zealand's Trade Commissioner in China, said that after the recent closure of Carich, the New Zealand Government immediately took steps to ensure that all students were offered suitable alternative places with no extra charges.

The bankruptcy of Carich left more than 500 Chinese students stranded.

"By the end of November all Carich students were back in classes, and the Government is working to ensure that students get their work at Carich recognized,'' the commissioner said.

All the foreign students are guests in New Zealand and "we want them treated well while they are in New Zealand,'' Ambassador McKinnon said.

"We are one of the few countries in the world to have a compulsory Code of Practice for the welfare of international students. The Government works to ensure that education providers are reputable and that students are looked after,'' he added.

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