Academic tourism: Zim can learn from China
OVER the past two decades, China has been establishing itself as a hub for international students. The country is implementing a concept known as academic tourism. Academic tourism can be described as the mobility of students from one region or country to the other in search of an educational experience.
This is when there is a deliberate and purposive effort to make institutions of higher learning accommodating to the cosmopolitan students.
The number of foreign students in China has grown rapidly over the years, according to the country’s Ministry of Education, in 2018 there were 492 185 international students from 196 countries spread over 1 004 institutions.
Statistically, China is now the third largest host for international students just behind the United States and United Kingdom.
China’s current status in education is backed by policies, which have seen the opening up of spaces for international investment.
Besides the commercial aspect, China is using its popularity among international students as a platform for cultural diplomacy.
The country’s belief in the open world economy helped it pursue academic tourism, a niche which is a preserve of countries with a capital and knowledge advantage. China has both.
Zimbabwe on the African continent has a knowledge advantage which it can leverage in equal measure
At the G20 Summit in 2013, China’s President Xi Jinping said;
“Countries should give full play to their comparative advantages, work together to optimise global resource allocation, improve the layout of the global industry, build a global value chain that share interests equally, and foster a big global market that benefits all.”
Their approach in education has reflected this philosophy, more institutions are now teaching in English, moving away from strict adherence to local languages.
This has been an attractive element to students who want an experience of a developed country, but do not afford to go to Europe or North
America.
Deloitte in 2018 released the China Education Development Report, which said the Chinese education industry has been growing because of policy quality and availability of capital.
“China’s education market will reach RMB2,68 trillion (about US$300 billion) by 2018 with training organisations, K12 (online education) and STEAM education and private kindergartens being the three biggest segments,” read the report.
This shows how an economy can grow based on its.knowledge and education sector. Zimbabwe is one of the largest African contributors to China’s academic tourism boom.
It is in the top five, only behind Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia in that order.
In 2011, it sent 323 students to study in the country and in 2016 the number had grown to 3 245.
The growing number presents an opportunity for Zimbabwe to follow the template and create a similar hub for students in the country.
Zimbabwe has an admirable educational record and is revered as a powerhouse on that front.
As the country seeks to lure investment can it not use that prowess to its advantage and create an African hub for higher education?
The competence to build upon is already in existence, the whole African continent believes in Zimbabwe’s education system.
What is needed is the widening of the university space, allowing private players (beyond churches) to set up institutions of higher learning.
They would be moulded to a standard that brings comfort even to those who have lived in the proverbial first world.
There is also need to increase the quality of scholarship.
Existing universities need to begin doing ground-breaking researches which can then bring attention to the country.
Government with this goal in mind, can incentivise the creation of knowledge through grants with sights on attracting foreign students.
There is already a policy direction which makes the idea feasible.
Government through its Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development has intentions of creating university towns and these would work well with the concept of academic tourism.
Higher Education Minister Professor Amon Murwira said; “We have a big vision of converting universities into university towns. What do we mean? A university should have its core infrastructure, shopping, office complex infrastructure; should have innovation hubs, industrial parks, what we call other amenities different from lecture rooms, dining rooms, student accommodation, and libraries.
We are trying to have universities as a whole town that provides services, not only to the people inside, but outside as well.”
Zimbabwe already has towns like Redcliff which used to be vibrant because of the activities of steel maker, Ziscosteel before the company experienced difficulties.
They can be re- purposed to become university towns and be utilised in a manner that can benefit the country.
This is a way that Zimbabwe can attract the much needed foreign currency from the international student community.
Sometimes the gems we seek to invite investors to are not physical but mental. Zimbabwe has never had a shortage of academic brains.
If the Chinese could leverage their knowledge, we too can look East for inspiration.
◆