Students’ voices must be heard
When it comes to the concerns around post-secondary schools and international students, no one seems to be interviewing the students who genuinely want to be in a Canadian college classroom, to either launch their careers in Canada or return to their home countries with specific skills and practices.
Instead, the focus has been on the bad actors. Governments blaming colleges. Bad actor agents telling students not to worry about food because we have food banks in Canada. Bad actor employers taking advantage of international students needing work to help pay for their stay in Canada after discovering, too late, that it is more expensive than they can afford. Bad actor landlords, cramming double-digit numbers of international students into a home and charging rent that easily has them turning a pretty profit.
As a professor of a two-semester postgraduate certificate program at Centennial College, I get some students here for the wrong reasons; they simply have no interest in the profession. I teach PR — public relations, but I’m convinced these students view PR strictly as permanent residency.
But focusing on these narratives does a disservice to those who are here for the right reasons.
For those applicants, I say welcome. But buckle in. It is work and there is no free ride. Quite the opposite. I respect the investment these international students have made. In addition to higher tuition, international students for Fall 2024 are mandated to have $20,635 for cost-of-living expenses, double what it was. Understandably, respect is crucial. But faculty expect the same respect in return. Students ought to be serious.
Teaching faculty want and need better applicants so we can produce better graduates and better employees. When that happens, everyone wins: faculty enjoy teaching, students thrive and employer’s hire.
The system is far from perfect, but my January cohort already shows improvement. We’re attracting better prepared candidates. Most of my class of 22 are living closer to campus and many are living with their spouses who provide much needed emotional support.
My students from 15 countries have come to learn; some came from beautiful warm beach-filled countries and arrived in the dead of winter, a sign of their commitment to their career, not their love of the snow and cold.
During a lesson about intercultural communications, we discussed the advantages they will bring to any employer needing to diversify their employee base. When a classroom creates an environment that is open to sharing and honouring cultural nuances, everyone benefits. Those who put in the work will be an asset to any organization because, along with the professional training, they bring diversity of thinking, perspective, experience and insight.
Are international students responsible for the affordable housing crisis? Every crisis needs someone to blame. But by placing the blame on the shoulders of international students, the government has, in effect, put the spotlight on the future of post-secondary education.
We must find a way forward that listens and responds to the voices and experiences of students who really want to be here and the dedicated front-line faculty who are tasked with educating students experiencing very real struggles, from affordability and housing to mental health and home sickness. Those struggles often impact their academic success, the reason they are here in the first place. I’ve seen it first-hand. It presents as skipped classes, missed assignments, failed grades. It’s hard to get a return on your investment when you’re in survival mode, working too many hours, commuting too many busroutes, living with too many housemates.
The future of post-secondary education cannot be left to politicians. Faculty, students, employers also deserve a seat at the table. The sooner we collectively address the challenges faced by our international students, the sooner we’ll all benefit from the advantages they can bring to our classroom, our economy and our country.