News 29/7 – Intl Students Up, Student Loans & Food Safety

July 29th 2010 at 7:16am, By Dave Guerin

International Students Up International students were up 7%in the first four months of 2010, following a 6% rise in FY 2009. PTEs were up 8%, ITPs up 15% and unis up 4%. SIT is showing good growth this year, going from 220 international EFTS in 2009 to 259 so far this year, and is on track to meet its 320 target.
More Collaboration The ITF called for more collaboration in the vocational education sector at their conference yesterday (it continues today, which will slow up blogging). Silos are so last year!
Student Loans After John Key’s musing about student loans, NZUSA and OUSA agreed that it was a disaster too, but for quite different reasons. Business NZ urged the PM to do something about interest-free loans. Labour’s Grant Robertson asked Key to front up and say what he wants to do. The Government did say that they were looking to get more money back from people who go offshore.
Maori Language Week Today, there’s a profile of a Te Wananga O Aotearoa student learning te reo, and another one at Te Ataarangi (and another who may have been to both).
Food Safety A new Food Safety Centre has been established jointly by Lincoln and Canterbury. The new Director wants to work “with the food industry to find out what they want and tailor what we do to meet their needs”. That is reassuring, given some of the silly statements that came out of universities recently about graduate outcomes. There’s a story in The Press too.
Better Waiters MIT’s Johan Wohlmuther wants to improve the quality of restaurant service.
Drill, Baby, Drill Four universities (Auckland, Victoria, Canterbury and Otago) plus GNS Science and overseas organisation are involved in drilling of the Alpine fault to explore earthquake related issues.
ITP Funding NZUSA has put out a release raising concerns about cuts to ITP funding next year.
Wine to the US EIT has put up a long piece from their wine symposium about wine exports to the US. There’s also an interview with EIT’s new head of art and design.
Voices as Bells A Uni of Auckland lecturer is premiering a new work shortly that will have voices imitating bells, “building to a tintinnabulatory climax of change-ringing”. So, there’s a new word for you and me!
Law Conflicts A Uni of Auckland lecturer has created a new database on the conflicts of laws.
Kiwi Living and Dying Massey Uni staff have helped identify the killer of 4 kiwi, but also put one recovering from broken legs on the treadmill – cute video and stories here and here.
American Singing An AUT student argues that most pop singers sing in an American-influenced accent.
Neurosurgery Changes A Uni of Otago academic is worried that the potential consolidation of South Island neurosurgery services in Christchurch would make it harder to recruit relevent academic staff to Dunedin. Locals’ views are also covered by the ODT.
Business Links Pingar, a software company, is expanding to China, and values the support it has received from AUT and the University of Waikato.

4 Responses to News 29/7 – Intl Students Up, Student Loans & Food Safety

Rachel Boyack

July 31st, 2010 at 1:23 pm

Hi Dave, I was interested in your comments in the Nelson Mail (not online, I can scan you a link) stating that only student unions and Labour were still in favour of interest free student loans.

I was wondering where you obtained that opinion from? As a Student Pres, I know a number of tutors, students, and their families who believe interest free loans are a good idea. Many graduates are also in favour of them and I believe would not be happy if interest were to be re-introduced.

Dave Guerin

July 31st, 2010 at 3:24 pm

Hi Rachel, thanks for the comment.

I was talking about the organised lobby groups, and you could probably add the Greens to the mix too. As a wider political issue, I’d agree entirely that many members of the public support interest-free loans. I’d also say that student loans are much more an issue of politics than policy. It probably doesn’t matter that much what people think about the policy issues around interest free loans, as the political parties will rey upon focus groups drawn from the wider electorate when setting policy.

If, however, we did narrow the debate down to those interested in the policy issues around loans, not many of that group would agree that interest free loans was the best use of the resources required for it.

Rachel Boyack

July 31st, 2010 at 7:01 pm

thanks for the clarification Dave. I’d add the CTU and the TEU to the mix also.

I can understand a view that more funding going directly to TEIs could be a better form of investment, especially if it were to significantly reduce the cost of education for the student. However (and it’s a big however), that doesn’t address the issue for those who have already acquired a large loan so such a policy move could be seen to be very inequitable. Especially when you consider that many students have made a decision to undertake education with the assumption that student loans will remain interest-free.

Dave Guerin

August 1st, 2010 at 10:08 am

I accept that the TEU and CTU are sympathetic on loans but it’s not a priority issue for them and they are unlikely to do much about it.

On the rest of your comment, we disagree, but let’s leave that for another day