Students stress over recall home
A group of students from West Papua in Indonesia are fearful about their futures in New Zealand after their scholarships were cut off.
A group of about 40 students have been studying at different tertiary institutions in New Zealand, but in December received a letter from the Provincial Government of Papua saying their living allowances, travel and study fees were stopping and they had to return home because their studies had not met expectations.
West Papua student Laurens Ikinia is part of a group advocating for the students. He said some students had gone home, but about 25 remained at Auckland, Waikato and Canterbury universities, as well as Palmerston North polytech UCOL and tertiary institution IPU New Zealand.
‘‘The reason the government used was because we were not making any progress on our studies. We have actually requested from the provincial government about how did they come up with that?
‘‘All the students on the list are halfway through completing their studies. All the information they put in is completely wrong.’’
Ikinia said the letter was a shock and many of the students were uncertain about whether they could stay in New Zealand.
Many were struggling without the scholarship, unable to focus on their studies and ‘‘mentally and emotionally unstable’’.
The group had asked Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi and the Green Party for help.
Roy Towolom, 21, came to New Zealand in 2016 from Tolikara and attended Awatapu College in Palmerston North.
He is one of 11 Papuan students in his carpentry course at UCOL and he has about aweek left before he completes his studies. UCOL and his church have been supporting him since his living allowance stopped.
He said the affected students were confused about being asked to leave and the government letter did not make sense and was out of date.
‘‘It was pretty shocking. There was no specific reason why the funds were cut. We didn’t know what the reason was.’’ His student visa expired next month, but he wanted to stay in New Zealand and was thinking about becoming a builder. He hoped to get a work visa.
A spokesperson for the Indonesian Embassy said the scholarship programme in New Zealand was run by the Provincial Government of Papua and 593 students were receiving the scholarship.
The decision to repatriate some Papuan students overseas was ‘‘based on evaluation regarding academic performance, the time allocation of the relevant scholarships’’.
‘‘It is also important to highlight that only those who have exceeded the allocated time of the scholarship and those who cannot meet the academic requirements are being recalled.’’
The spokesperson said most scholarship recipients had been studying in New Zealand since 2015 and were yet to finish their tertiary education as planned.
‘‘The decision to repatriate certain students does not impact those students who remain on track with regards to their studies abroad.
‘‘The assessment is also conducted to ensure that other eligible students from Papua province also obtain the same opportunity in pursuing their studies.’’
The embassy has been in contact with the affected students.
A spokesperson for Faafoi said none of the students were at risk of being deported and Immigration New Zealand had discussed the situation with them. ‘‘Students who do not meet requirements to stay in New Zealand will be encouraged to depart voluntarily.’’
The Papuan Provincial Government would cover their repatriation costs, they said.
A UCOL spokesperson said the institution was supporting the 15 students at UCOL with living costs.
The University of Canterbury’s international partnership and support manager Monique van Veen said the university’s student care team was working with the affected students.
‘‘There was no specific reason why the funds were cut.’’
Roy Towolom