Students plan summer stay-over

Thousands of young foreigners opting to stay for break in case they can’t get back in

Schools, universities and polytechnics expect thousands of foreign students will stay over the summer break because New Zealand has no quarantine plan to let them return if they leave.

About 50,000 international students are in the country and those part-way through their studies are not covered by the quarantine system.

Education leaders said the students would need accommodation and pastoral care as well as jobs, holiday schemes or courses to study.

International Students’ Association president Sabrina Alhady said students had been raising the issue for several months.

“It is quite clear that there is some level of distress on students who wish to go home and be with their families at this point, but also don’t want to risk not being able to come back.”

With so many students likely to stay in the country, tertiary institutions would have to maintain their pastoral care services during the summer, Alhady said.

Some students would try to find work, which might be difficult if unemployment was high, and others would want to attend summer school.

“We are aware that some institutions may be looking at discounting their summer school papers, which we would really encourage,” she said.

Universities of New Zealand chair Derek McCormack said its members were thinking about what they needed to do for their students.

“We are looking at what can we provide for them over the summer period in terms of work at the university, maybe study during that period, certainly accommodation during that period.” Schools International Education Business Association executive director John van der Zwan said it was encouraging schools to talk to their students about the possibility of staying on over summer. “It’s a really difficult situation,” he said.

Staying in New Zealand was also an added cost for students’ families.

Macleans College principal Steve Hargreaves said it was not an easy decision for families. “It’s really tough, think about being a teenager and not seeing your family for two years.”

Most of Macleans’ foreign students had indicated they would stay so it would maintain its pastoral care systems over the summer. It was also planning some special activities.

Schools and tertiary institutions have been waiting to hear how and when they will be allowed to bring foreign students back into NZ.

They told RNZ interest had been unusually high, but they would lose enrolments for next year if decisions were not made soon.