ICOS Newsletter - Issue 26 (November 2009)

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Sections:

• International Education News
• Policy and Practice
• Services to Members
• Services to International Students
• Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme
• Organisational Matters

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International Education News

New immigration regime proposed for full-time non-EEA students

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice issued a press release regarding the proposed immigration changes for Non-EEA Students noting that the proposals are still under discussion as the Interdepartmental Committee continues to evaluate submissions received. No indication was given on when any changes would be implemented. The current rules will continue to apply for the time being.

ICOS' response is posted on our website and key recommendations include::

• that Level 6 and not Level 7 be recognised as the beginning of higher education
• that proven progression should determine a non-EEA student's right to remain in the state as a student and if a time limit is to be applied it should be for a maximum aggregate of 6 years rather than 5 as proposed
• that all persons have the right to be united with members of their family; this is a basic human right and students should not be treated differently from other citizens in this respect.
• that the social and educational dimensions of the student work concession should be included in future review criteria
• that any statutory code of practice for institutions should be broad-ranging and, in this context, full advantage should be taken of the standards and guidelines on the Provision of Education to International Students as set out in the recently released Irish Higher Education Quality Network (IHEQN) document
• that 6 months rather than 3 months should be the exemption period for the proposed introduction of a visa requirement for all students from 1 January 2011
• that non-EEA children who attend Irish schools may often choose to continue their education in Ireland by progressing to Level 7 and above and should be encouraged to do so

A student's reaction to the proposed changes to the student immigration system

The proposed five-year cap on non-EEA students in Ireland is "absurd", says Ying Yun Wang, a Chinese research student in Dublin in an interview with the Irish Times: "If someone comes here and does a language course for one year, followed by an undergraduate degree for four years, that is already five years," she says, and it would leave no room for non-EEA students to continue in education. She added that "For me, the Irish policy has this unwelcome attitude. It says, remember you are here as a student and then go back."

Growing number of international students choosing Ireland

According to a recent Irish Independent article by John Walshe, a record number of foreign students were attending full-time courses in Irish Universities and Institutes of Technology last year.

The new HEA data, based on March 2009 enrolments, presents a complex picture of the underlying trends.

Of the top 4 countries (US, Britain, Malaysia and China), only China saw an increase on the previous year (by 21%). By contrast, the top three all fell: Malaysia displayed the biggest decline (8.5%), followed by the US (6.3%) and Britain (1.7%). There were no newcomers to the top 10 countries - currently completed by Canada, Germany, France, India, Italy and Poland. These six all showed rising numbers, with India, up 31%, the most substantial increase. Some significant shifts were in evidence within the top 25, with Norway's student numbers down 27% (and ranking down from 14th to 22nd), while Pakistan's was up 55% (climbing from 21st to 15th place). Students coming from the UAE and Romania both increased by around a third. Further down the list, two other nationalities saw dramatic swings in recruitment: Bahrain, previously with 17 students, saw a near 300% rise to 63, while students from Hong Kong exactly halved - from 42 to 21.

International students in universities predominate in the figures, making up 88% of the total. However, the Institutes of Technology made the strongest running in increasing overall numbers - adding 16.5% on the previous year compared to universities' 7.2%.

Although there is much of interest in the HEA data, it presents a far from complete picture of international students in Irish Higher Education since it excludes many significant institutions offering courses at this level. Some indication of this can be seen by a comparison with Department of Justice data, also for March 2009, released to accompany the recent consultation on student immigration reform. Thus, while the HEA data gives a total figure of 12,071 full-time international students between the two sectors counted, the Department of Justice gives a figure of 13,415 solely for non-EEA Higher Education students across all sectors. Similarly, DES data for 2006-07 indicated a figure of 16,758 international students studying full-time at Third Level alone.

The true importance of the US study abroad market to Ireland is also not fully captured in the HEA data with many programmes in Ireland operating outside the universities and institutes of technology. Recently released statistics from the Open Doors 2009 Report on U.S. students studying abroad would suggest that Ireland rather than losing market share is actually gaining (up 18.9%) and for 2007/08 was ranked 9th on the list of most popular destination for Americans on study abroad programmes.

Government to use recommendations from IHEQN's 'Provision of Education to International Students'

Last month, in a Dáil written answer, the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe, reiterated his "intention to establish a high level group on international education" in responding to a question on what initiatives were in place to support international students in Higher Education.

He added that the "development of a statutory quality mark, to be awarded by the amalgamated qualifications body, will be a key plank of this strategy. The quality mark regime will encompass wider dimensions of the individual's learning experience, including recruitment, orientation, accommodation, support services and fees issues. The development of this quality mark will build on the Irish Higher Education Quality Network's recently published code of practice and guidelines for provision of education to international students." (Written answer 1131 - Higher Education Funding, 6th October 2009).

As outlined in our submission on the proposed student immigration changes, ICOS welcomes the introduction of a quality mark for colleges which will help greatly in preventing bogus colleges from operating.

World rankings of Irish universities improve dramatically

The international ranking of Irish universities has improved dramatically in the past year, according to a highly regarded international league table. With UCD entering the top 100 for the first time, the Republic now has two colleges in this elite group. UCD President, Dr. Hugh Brady, said that "while one could find fault with any university ranking system, the reality is that rankings matter: they matter when top-quality international students and staff are choosing a university, they matter increasingly to Irish students when deciding whether to study in Ireland or abroad, and they are cited as one of the top 10 reasons why multinational companies choose a particular region in which to invest."

» See the Irish Times for more

President of Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) criticises the Government for not prioritising the internationalisation of Irish higher education

In an interview with the Westmeath Independent, Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin said that the Department of Education and Science had made a virtue of announcing new schemes and initiatives, but very little real progress had been made in promoting Ireland overseas. He added that "Attracting greater numbers of international students would improve the funding situation of Irish third level colleges. The Minister should focus on areas where we can compete successfully and generate the resources needed for a vibrant higher education sector, rather than imposing further obstacles in the paths of Irish students...Countries such as Australia and New Zealand have made enormous strides in attracting undergraduate and postgraduate students to attend their higher education institutions, while Ireland is left languishing behind."

'Bogus Student' Checks not succeeding in the UK

According to the BBC, UK Immigration officers have warned bosses that new rules designed to stop bogus students entering the UK are not working. Non-EU students are supposed to apply to registered institutions, and must prove they can support themselves. But claims are now verified in the students' home countries, and UK staff say they have limited ability to challenge those they suspect.

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Policy and Practice

Increase in racist attacks on international students

Over the past 6 weeks, a number of racially motivated attacks on international students and members of the academic community in Ireland have made the headlines - these include; a UCD PhD student and his family being racially victimized and a Romanian maths lecturer in TCD being physically assaulted twice in less than 48 hours.

In another disturbing report in the Irish Independent, an Irish-American student claimed that he was viciously assaulted by a gang of youths in Tipperary when they heard his foreign accent.

ICOS is concerned about the rise in such manifestations of racism. We urge all members institutions to have the necessary policies and protocols in place to help prevent such attacks and to deal with them properly when they do happen. It is crucial that colleges encourage victims to report such attacks and that adequate support systems are in place. Fortunately, none of the attacks mentioned above was fatal, however they were seriously disturbing for the individuals and families involved and, they demonstrate how active and aware we need to the possibility of racism. We strongly recommend tha all racist crime is recorded and reported to both local Garda Stations and the Garda Intercultural Office. Racist crime includes assaults, damage to property, threatening behaviour including verbal abuse and harassment, incitement to hatred, circulation of offensive material and graffiti.

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Services to Members

Cross-cultural training programmes

ICOS is holding a 1 day training course 'Introduction to Cross-cultural Awareness and Cross-cultural Communication: Skills for working with International Students' on Wednesday, 16 December, 2009 (10 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.). The training will be held at the Catherine McAuley Centre, 23 Herbert St (off Baggot Street), Dublin 2. The training is open to ICOS members and non-members.

This one day course is designed to introduce issues of cultural awareness to those who work with international students. Cross-cultural communication is important for a wide range of staff who have contact with international students in many different contexts. Cultural awareness as well as an ability to communicate across cultures contributes to the well-being of the students and allows those who work with international students to feel more confident when dealing with issues arising from cultural difference. The course will be interactive and will draw on participants' own experiences.

Course Aim:

To increase cultural awareness among those working with international students and to provide participants with the skills to engage and communicate more effectively and confidently with international students.

Course Objectives:

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Define the key terms relating to 'culture' and apply this knowledge to discuss cultural difference in a positive way
• Understand how awareness about other cultures and cultural differences can improve interaction in a multicultural environment
• Identify barriers to effective cross cultural communication
• Use communication skills to engage and interact successfully with international students.

This course is suitable for:

Abroad range of college staff who interact directly with international students, e.g. front-line staff, administrators, student advisers, teaching staff, library staff, receptionists etc.

Course Fees:

ICOS Members: €125 per person
Non-Members: €175 per person

Special group rate for ICOS member institutions: For institutions sending 3 or more participants, ICOS is offering a special group rate of €100 per person.

Closing Date for bookings: Friday, 4 December 2009

Registration is on a first come first served basis and once the course is full, a reserve list will be kept. Please book early to ensure a place.

For further information, please contact Louise Staunton, Programme Manager and Trainer, ICOS, phone: 231 5326 or email lstaunton@icosirl.ie

Events and Conferences

Call for Papers for European Association of International Education Conference

The 22nd Annual EAIE Conference 'Making knowledge work' will be held from 15-18 September 2010 in Nantes, France. The EAIE is currently accepting proposals for this conference.

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Services to International Students

Cork kicks off USI event series for international students

Earlier this month, Colin Tannam gave a presentation to international students in UCC on the proposed immigration changes for non-EEA students, as part of the Union of Students in Ireland's Equality Campaign. During workshops, students also had an opportunity to discuss other pertinent issues such as their experience with the Irish immigration service, work related issues and student life in general.

Similar collaborative forums between ICOS and USI will also take place in the new year in Dublin and Galway. Announcements on dates and venues will be made in due course.

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Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme

Meeting between Irish Aid and Higher Education Institutions

ICOS, in collaboration with Irish Aid, organised an information session for higher education institutes on the revised Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme on Friday 13 November 2009 at the Irish Aid Offices in Dublin. The meeting was attended by Irish Aid, ICOS, and Course Directors from around twenty academic programmes currently included in the Irish Aid Directory of Postgraduate Courses Suitable for Irish Aid Fellowship Recipients. Austin Gormley, Public Information and Development Education, Irish Aid, chaired the meeting. Attendees heard presentations from Mary Ryan, Irish Aid, on the aims and objectives of the revised Fellowship Training Programme programme; Dr Paddy Reilly, Executive Director, Kimmage Development Studies Centre, on the implications for HEIs in Ireland of the new approach, and Louise Staunton, ICOS, on specific aspects of the FTP including selection, alumni networks and quality assurance.

Presentation by Irish Aid Study Fellow

Pamela Kampire, a Study Fellow from Uganda, recently gave a presentation at the Irish Aid Sustainable Global Development conference held at the University of Limerick on 16th and 17th October. In a session on Agriculture and Sustainable Development, she addressed the topic of 'Food and Livelihood Security in Uganda'.

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Organisational Matters

Internships at ICOS

The organisation has welcomed two part-time interns to the staff team until the end of the year. Karen Patchell with an MA in Anthropology from QUB and Luke O'Shaughnessy who has just graduated with a MA in Public Affairs and Political Communication from DIT are already providing a welcome boost to ICOS' policy and research capacity.

Executive Meeting

The last ICOS Executive Committee meeting took place on Thursday, October 22nd. The final meeting of the year is scheduled for Thursday December 10th.

Christmas Party

The annual ICOS Christmas party for Study Fellows and members will take place on Tuesday December 15th in the ICOS Office.

Please keep a note of this date in your diary. All welcome!