Attracting the best and brightest

In early 2010 both the Ontario and federal governments made a concerted effort to attract more international students by announcing several new measures. Why is this happening now? Canada recognizes that there is an opportunity to be taken advantage of. It is now possible for the country to attract students who might normally have gone to educational institutions in the United States or Australia.

Last year in Canada, 178,000 international students spent $6.5-billion, creating 83,000 jobs. Compare that to the $13-billion international students spent in Australia — that country’s third largest source of foreign revenue.

That difference can change. A series of high-profile attacks on Indian students in Australia has lead to a 46% drop in applications to Australian schools from India. In the United States and the United Kingdom, general tightening of student visa rules — and security measures that would scare off a grizzly bear–have forced Indians to consider other friendlier, snowier pastures.

“Canada has got a world-class educational system which many in India are not aware of,” said Mahesh Tripathi, a student at the University of Ottawa. “There is little of the racism in Australia, and none of the security hassles one faces in America.”

Canadians have an enviable reputation as being friendly and extremely tolerant. They belong to a nation where multiculturalism is a highly visible part of life, and where a plethora of religions and nationalities exist harmoniously — side by side. In light of the recent vicious attacks on Indians in places like Australia and Russia, this atmosphere of tolerance becomes especially valuable.

A newly introduced federal program with relaxed work permit status, which allows international students to apply for landed immigrant status from within Canada, will encourage more of them to stay. These Canadian-educated foreign students, who have already integrated into our communities and don’t have to worry about getting foreign credentials recognized, make an ideal choice of highly qualified immigrants to meet the demands of our skilled labour market. Foreign students make up the major source of talent for research jobs in the United States and over 10,000 startups in Silicon Valley were created by immigrants who came to the country as students.

International education is a growth industry that offers many opportunities, but it has its challenges too. In Australia, for example, the primary aim for many colleges seems to be to secure residency for its students. A country-wide educational study recently came out that reported that almost a fifth of private colleges in Australia were “permanent residency factories.” When such surreptitious goals supplant more important ones, the student is the loser.

While foreign students enhance the classroom learning experience and enrich diversity, the quality of students should not lower our standards of learning. The academic requirements for foreign students should not be compromised in order to attract more students, nor should the teacher-to-student ratio be widened.

International terrorist groups have used student visas as a back door to enter the United States and the United Kingdom. Canada has to be strategic in its outreach in targeting safe markets and must strengthen security precautions for foreign students from high-risk countries.

The first step, though, is to attract the students. While more than 100,000 people from India enrolled in American universities and colleges, Canada has managed to attract only a fifth of that number. The problem is our poor marketing. While Australia spends over $50-million promoting itself as a premier destination for higher education, Canada spends a paltry $1-million. Even New Zealand, a nation of only 4.5 million people, shows greater bravura than Canada in promoting itself.

Ramesh Thakur, a professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo, who has also worked as a consultant to the Australian and New Zealand governments on international security issues, says “Canada is more tolerant, safer and to be very honest, far more welcoming to people of diverse backgrounds [than other countries]. The Canadian system of learning ranks amongst the finest in the world — and this is probably our best kept secret.”

It’s time that secret was revealed.

- Vijay Sappani and Avinash Gavai both came to Canada as international students and settled in the country. For more information contact Vijaysappani@gmail.com