Ontario’s international students deserve better
It’s no secret that education is increasingly an industry that is commodified — especially toward international students. Our universities, colleges and K-12 public and independent systems all increasingly rely on revenues from international students for their operation.
This year, international students pay $16,000 tuition for an education with the TDSB, Ontario’s largest public school board. In the HWDSB, fees next year will be $14,850, plus $850 in medical insurance. And this does not include application fees, or fees for travel and accommodation upon arrival in Canada.
However, it seems international students deserve better than they’re getting in Ontario. The lack of safeguards in place at K-12 and post-secondary levels needs to be addressed.
Increasingly, these high school and college students are making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Media have reported on a family in India losing its entire life savings trying to access a shoddy Canadian post-secondary program for a young woman. Others arrive in Ontario without any kind of support.
Repairing the damage may be complex, but addressing the public policy issue ought not to be.
Let’s start with independent secondary schools. A recent Cardus study estimates that over 300 schools in Ontario are “Credit Emphasis” schools, whose primary focus is offering credits toward the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), rather than a specialized or religious purpose. Many of these schools market their courses internationally online in foreign languages and accept foreign currencies.
As we indicate in our report, “the quality of program and motive for operation may not be in the public’s best interest,” at some of these schools.
To be fair, many “Credit Emphasis” schools serve an important purpose, providing important language training in English, enabling mature students to obtain their diplomas, and allowing students the flexibility to study at their own pace. But some give cause for concern.
The root issue is the recruitment process. Since the provincial government released its International Education Strategy in 2015, Ontario has seen robust and aggressive international-student recruitment, with limited safeguards in place for students.
While many public schools and independent schools have created their own policies to ensure safety, there is no official accountability for partners such as recruitment agencies or homestay agencies.
We need not look far for a path forward. Neighbouring Manitoba is the first province to protect international students by law, and imposes strict guidelines on recruiters that travel overseas to bring in students. Ontario should do the same. Pull out the weeds at the root.
As Ontario continues to expand its international student industry, we need to ask hard questions. How valuable is the reputation of our high school diplomas? And are we doing what we can to protect the vulnerable from exploitation? Ontarians are welcoming and hospitable, and immigrants and international students are a wonderful addition to our society.
But feeling good about our intentions is not enough. We need to ensure the schools attracting international students truly serve them.