Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Friday, August 10, 2012

Push for foreign students doesn't seem necessary

Canada is after both brain power and big bucks in a renewed push to attract more foreign students to this country.

The objective is not especially altruistic - such as imparting knowledge so that the inter-national students can pursue good careers back in their home countries.

No, Canadian educational institutions, at a time of provincial cuts to funding, are keen to boost their budgets.

International students, paying tuition at roughly three times the rate demanded of their Canadian counterparts, are big business. They typically pay $17,200 a year in under-grad tuition, compared with $6,100 paid by locals.

In 2010, some 218,000 students from abroad spent $8 billion in Canada, supporting 86,200 jobs.

Foreign student numbers have doubled since 1999. Only New Zealand has outpaced this country in terms of growth in their numbers.

But the recruitment push also is about something else. In an increasingly international world, Canada, with its aging population, is anxious to scoop the talent and connections that will help grow the economy and enhance trade opportunities.

Earlier this week, University of B.C. president Stephen Toope called for greater efforts to "attract top-notch international talent."

Toope noted that "competition for global talent is intensifying and Asian students, especially at the graduate level, are becoming more mobile."

Right now, Canada is being left in the dust by the likes of the United States, Britain and Australia, attracting only four per cent of all international students worldwide.

Foreign students now make up eight per cent of the domes-tic university roster, with B.C. and Ontario attracting two-thirds of those opting for Canadian-based studies.

They're mostly from South Korea, China and the U.S. But in coming years, Brazil is expected to send more students to Canada.

B.C. calculates that for every 10-per-cent increase in the number of foreign students, the province will derive another $100 million in GDP and 1,800 additional jobs.

Accordingly, Premier Christy Clark earlier this year released an International Education Strategy, declaring B.C.'s intention to boost its foreign student contingent by 50 per cent by 2016.

The feds are every bit as enthusiastic. International Trade Minister Ed Fast released a report in late July documenting the benefits of attracting foreign students, and pledging to do more on this front.

Canada's appeal as a study destination, however, likely took a hit in May with the high-profile murder in Montreal of computer engineering student Jun Lin who had come from China. In 2011 Chinese foreign student Liu Qian, studying English at York University, was murdered. In 2002, another student from China, Amanda Zhao, who was studying English at Coquitlam College, was murdered.

International students also are being discouraged by the higher tuition fees they're charged, asserts Kevin Wil-lemse, a foreign student at BCIT. That's "a massive barrier to entry for many international students."

Canadians themselves are not universally supportive of the country's recruitment of more students from abroad.

Some say all the government effort expended on wooing the foreigners should be directed toward ensuring Canada's aboriginal youth are properly educated.

Others fear students from abroad with substandard English-language skills will lower academic standards.

Then there's the problem of foreign students taking up university placements greatly sought after by homegrown students.

For example, some 3,500 Canadians are now studying medicine overseas. When they return to Canada for the medical residency placements they'll require to practise here, they'll find many of those placements have been taken by foreign students.

In Ontario, more than half of all residency positions are designated for international students.

Those critical of that scenario, believing charity begins at home, make an excellent point.

Original Article
Source: vancouver sun
Author: Barbara Yaffe

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