Kiwis go all out to woo Gujarati students to NZ campuses

AHMEDABAD: It may be the dark horse in the race to attract students from Gujarat aspiring to study in universities abroad. But, Kiwis are now making an all out effort to catch up with most favoured education destinations — US, Australia, UK and Canada.
Not only did a 20-member contingent of university representatives swoop down on the city to market New Zealand’s education, for the first time ever, the first secretary of immigration for New Zealand (NZ) in New Delhi Simon Smith too joined the team.
The idea is simple: woo students by dangling the carrot of employment in New Zealand later.
“Education is critical to ensure that New Zealand’s present and future skill shortages are met. So our education and immigration policies are completely interlinked,� Smith said. He admitted that Kiwis were now aiming to get a greater share of the students’ market in Gujarat.
Smith was in the city to inaugurate the education fair organised jointly by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and India Education Export Network (IEEN).
Speaking to TNN on the sidelines of the fair, Smith said that he would visit Gujarat more often to create awareness about education and immigration issues.
“Immigration officers have always been part of education and tourism fairs, but this is the first time I have been part of an education fair. I will be making such visits more often,� he said.
IEEN chairperson Tricia Reade conceded that Gujarat is a very good students’ market for foreign countries. “We have 2,222 students from India studying in NZ. But we want good students from Gujarat to join our universities in NZ,� Reade said. Smith has come with an array of incentives for students, including the fact that that they could earn points under the skilled migrant category by pursuing a recognised diploma or degree that takes at least two academic years to complete or by doing a full-time course of study culminating in qualification.
“If the student has completed a polytechnic or university qualification that has a minimum completion time of three years, he may apply for a work permit which allows him to work up to a maximum of two years,� Smith explained.