Ardern announces $ 51.6 million for the international education sector

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins have announced $ 51.6 million from the Covid-19 Recovery Fund for the international education sector.

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Speaking after the weekly Cabinet meeting, Ardern and Hipkins said the funds would help “soften the blow” and pave the way for recovery for the sector.

“International education is our fifth largest export producer and contributed nearly $ 5 billion to our economy in 2018 … which is why today the government is investing $ 51.6 million from the Covid Recovery Fund to help stabilize sector, “said Ardern.

About $ 20 million will be invested in state and state-integrated schools for the rest of the year, $ 10 million will go to private training institutions including English language schools, and $ 10 million will be invested in it. develop new products and services. The latter will include allowing students to learn from their home country before coming to New Zealand to complete their studies.

The rest of the funding will allow providers to continue to provide pastoral care for international students still living in New Zealand, and in marketing campaigns.

“We are looking at prospects for this sector in the future where we can manage them as part of quarantine, but this is not something we can do for sure right away,” Ardern said.

“This will take some time and we will have to continue working with the sector on this.”

Hipkins says the funds will not help save every job in the sector, but, using the same words as the Prime Minister said it would calm the blow.

Hipkins said the government was already providing support for universities and polytechnics as they were part of the “crown balance”.

“The investment we are announcing today builds on the work the government has already done to support providers and students, such as enabling PTE to go dormant, establishing an international fund of student hardship and removing the requirement that providers pay a … education comes both this year and next.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins
photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas

“I know most of the recovery will depend on when New Zealand is able to reopen our borders to international students, as we have seen many times, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage overseas, and we will expect that providers plan to have no additional international students for the rest of this year, “Hipkins said.

Hipkins said the government was “actively” in opening the borders to international students, and would look at how to bring in “low-risk” groups of international students in the first place.

He said the government “absolutely” will not subsidize managed isolation and quarantine costs for incoming international students.

Ardern said every time you start doing something on the scale, there would be associated risks.

“We’re just not willing to risk our health response going through something we just can’t do well. We need to constantly make sure we balance all these decisions and that our main focus is New Zealanders’ health and safety. And that’s how we protect our economy. “

She said the government has been working closely with airlines to manage the influx of passengers coming into the country.

Asked about allegations of political interference in the decision to grant Kurdish-Iranian refugee status to Behrouz Boochani in New Zealand, Ardern said he was “completely wrong”. She said the decision had been kept “completely separate” from politicians, “and this is as it should be”.

The Cabinet was reportedly discussing plans today for the first calming of the New Zealand and Cook Islands borders, but the announcement of any details has again been delayed.

The Ministry of Health today said that there were no new cases of Covid-19, after a weekend without any new cases.

However, test numbers have continued to exceed the 4,000 tests per day that scientists recommend for monitoring the virus in New Zealand.