Our Leader in Indian Newslink Digital Edition August 1, 2024
Venkat Raman
Auckland, July 31, 2024
The impending visit of India’s President Droupadi Murmu (August 7 to 9, 2024) has evinced the interest of the Indian community and those in the Education and Private Training Establishments (PTEs) in New Zealand.
Apart from engaging in bilateral discussions and attending a State Dinner hosted by Governor-General Cindy Kiro, Ms Murmu will address an Education Conference.
It is no coincidence that during his visit in 2016, then President, the late Pranab Mukherjee had said in an address that the increasing affordability of his country’s middle-class population has spurred the growth in numbers of students seeking overseas studies.
“New Zealand is becoming an important destination. We would like to ensure that they are safe and well looked after,” he said in an address in Auckland.
To an ordinary observer, those comments would have sounded rhetoric but he was making an important observation.
Safety of students
Ms Murmu is likely to place a similar emphasis on the safety and security of international students and migrant workers from India given the rising incidents of exploitation.
While it is great to have more students to study in our universities, tertiary education institutions and PTEs, the welfare of the international student population, especially those from the Indian Sub-Continent, China and other Asian countries should be treated paramount.
Mr Mukherjee was perhaps assessed by the state of affairs of rogue education agents in India, who overstate employment prospects and offer permanent resident status to international students. Eight years thereon, Ms Murmu would also be advised of the situation. There is little improvement in the treatment of international students.
The need to regulate the export education sector, which accrues about $5.2 billion to the national economy annually, has been pronounced for a long time but the recent developments have exacerbated the problem, calling for urgent government action. Complaints of cutthroat competition, acts of impropriety and misuse of the free market economy have been on the increase. There was therefore an urgent need to introduce new legislative measures that would discipline owners and operators of PTEs.
International students also need to be disciplined, obliged to follow the rules, and not get away with whatever they desire. There have been increasing instances of international students (a majority of them from India), abandoning their courses and seeking full-time employment. Several students have also sought to move to other PTEs that offer cheaper courses.
China claimed the top position in the international student intake last year, accounting for 35% of enrolments, followed by India at 11%.
Raising the level of engagement
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that President Murmu’s visit is particularly welcome at a time of increased engagement between the New Zealand and Indian governments.
“The visit will also highlight our strong people-to-people and cultural links. New Zealand is home to about 300,000 people of Indian origin, who make an important contribution to our business, community and society. Hindi is the fifth most spoken language in New Zealand, and Indian students also make up the second largest cohort of international students in New Zealand. This is the second time New Zealand will be welcoming an Indian President, following Shri Pranab Mukherjee’s visit in 2016,” he said.
Mr Luxon said that New Zealand and India have a long-standing and vibrant relationship and that his government is committed to deepening and broadening connections.
“President Murmu is a highly respected leader in India. She is the second female and the first person from a tribal community to hold the position. Her visit will provide an important opportunity to reaffirm New Zealand as a trusted and supportive bilateral and regional partner to India,” he said.
We hope that the visit of President Murmu will set the pace for the next, higher level of engagement between the two countries.
