Ziena Jalil, regional director South Asia of ENZ speaks with SANGEETA YADAV about their tie-ups and other subjects
Tell us about Education New Zealand (ENZ)IJ
ENZ is a Government agency which looks after the international marketing of New Zealand education. We at ENZ aim to take New Zealand education experiences to the world for lasting social, economic and cultural benefits. New Zealand is not just a credible education destination but also for the business perspective to tie-up with the international Governments and institutions. ENZ ranks India as a key destination in its tier 1 markets in the world.
How many Indian students come to New Zealand for studiesIJ
There were more than 90,000 international students in New Zealand in 2012. There were 11,349 Indian students studying in New Zealand. This is an increase of 194 per cent from 2007. International education contributes some NZ$2.6b to the New Zealand economy. ENZ vision of 2025 is to double the economic value of international education to NZ$5billion by 2025. The top subjects choices for the Indian students in New Zealand are management and commerce, information technology, travel, tourism and hospitality; engineering and health. Auckland is the favourite destination for the Indian students to study that is followed by Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Canterbury, Wellington, Waikato, and others.
What are the new education initiatives by New Zealand in IndiaIJ
Our biggest tie-up recently is on the academic research sector to expand the research tie-ups in the field of food security and agriculture; community development and innovation; health; environment and sustainability; India-New Zealand trade relations; information security; and urban planning and development. Research field is huge and a lot can be done in it. This India New Zealand Education Council (INZEC) tie-up has been jointly facilitated by ENZ and India’s University Grants Commission (UGC).
What’s the USP of studying in New ZealandIJ
We offer internationally qualified education to the students. Our universities come under the top 500 globally. We are famous internationally in areas like agriculture and food processing; health; media and entertainment; IT; and tourism and hospitality. Also, New Zealand is an ideal place to study as it offers flexible pathways or visa regulations for migration of employers, students and study cum work policies. This gives a plenty of opportunity to the ENZ to grow not just academically but at the work front as well.
How does ENZ ensure safety of the international studentsIJ
New Zealand is the first country to launch the Code of Pastoral Care to international students. Any institution which has international students has to sign up to this code. This set out what standards of care education providers must provide to international students living and studying in New Zealand. The framework covers minimum standards, good practice and student complaint procedures. All education providers with international students must sign up to the Code. An institute can’t accept any international students if they don’t sign up the code.
How do you find online learning through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platformsIJ
MOOCs are changing the phase of education by making it more accessible and giving an opportunity to the students to keep on learning and stay updated with the latest knowledge. But somewhere the need for traditional teaching-learning system is still very important at the primary stage of learning.