Page 70 - February EW 2024 PDF

International News

is considered part of industry,” he previously told Times
Higher Education. “This is an industrial view; this is not
an education view.”
Hong is worried that without ensuring quality of educa-
tion, a push to significantly increase the number of inter-
national students in Korea could ultimately backfire. Oth-
ers argue that without institutional targets, it will be very
hard to get all universities on board. But even critics of the
scheme, including Hong, acknowledge the urgent need for
Korean institutions to bring in more international students.
And, across the sector, there are signs of changes under way
to do just this.
In December, for instance, Korean media reported that
Namseoul University, a private university in Cheonan, 85
km from Seoul, had become the first domestic institution
to be certified by the International Baccalaureate Organisa- Quebec premier François Legault: language chauvinism revival
tion to train educators for the IB diploma, which is under-
taken in schools around the world. The university has also steps that include substantial tuition increases for Canadian
launched various Master’s degrees aimed at international students from outside Quebec and new French-proficiency
students, including global techno entrepreneurship and graduation requirements for most of them.
international education. That planned tuition increase for non-Quebec Canadi-
Joonghwa Kim, director of the international office at ans — to C$12,000 (Rs.7.44 lakh) per year, or 33 percent
Ajou University, a highly regarded institution based in Su- beyond current levels — is down from the Legault govern-
won, just 30 km south of Seoul, marvels at the recent pace ment’s initial suggestion in October for a rate of C$17,000.
of change — and the increase in overseas demand for Ko- Yet it still would make McGill far more expensive for such
rean degrees. “It’s something we could not have imagined students than top-tier competitors such as the University of
ten years ago,” he says. “Then, every Korean was trying to Toronto and the University of British Columbia.
go out — now, every outside student is trying to come in.” The Legault plan, due to take effect this coming autumn,
Like others, he credits the huge popularity of Korea’s would also require that English-language institutions in
cultural exports: K-culture, which includes popular novels Quebec give an overwhelming share of the fees they re-
and TV dramas, K-pop music, fashion and food. At Ajou, ceive from international students — already running at
a large portion of overseas students take Korean literature about C$20,000 per year — to French-language universi-
and IT, the latter popular with the South-east Asians look- ties. McGill estimates that the plan would cost it an annual
ing to move to Korea for higher-paying jobs. budgetary loss of C$42-C$94 million (Rs.260-582 crore).
Concordia University estimates a C$15.5 million initial-year
CANADA loss.
Medium of instruction tax “is academically and technically unfeasible and will deter
The government’s goal for the use of the French language
MCGILL UNIVERSITY, ONE OF CANADA’S top- students from coming here,” McGill’s president, Deep Saini,
ranked higher education institutions, is warning said in issuing his institution’s cost estimate. The president
that a provincial policy to discourage English-lan- of Concordia, Graham Carr, said that the mere threat of the
guage instruction through sharp tuition fee hikes is threat- policy is already costing Quebec higher education harm to
ening its existence. its global reputation that “cannot be undone”.
The move by Quebec premier François Legault “puts the Quebec’s French-speaking institutions have showed
university’s very future in question”, McGill said in issuing limited sympathy. The University of Quebec said the Le-
an estimate that the plan could cost the institution close gault government is taking steps aimed at “ensuring a bet-
to C$100 million (Rs.620 crore) a year and cause it grave ter balance of income generated by international students
reputational damage. Legault is a founder of the conserva- between universities”.
tive-nationalist Coalition Avenir Quebec party, which has And leaders of several other French-speaking institu-
put a priority on reviving the use of the French language in tions — including the University of Montreal and Laval
his province, the nation’s largest by area and second-biggest University — say they don’t necessarily oppose the idea of
by population. taking resources from their more popular English-language
In recent weeks and months, Legault’s government — counterparts, as long as the plan isn’t so extreme that it
first elected in 2018 — has pushed a plan that imposes causes them great harm.
his French-language agenda on higher education through (Excerpted and adapted from Times Higher Education)

70 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2024