Some of you politically interested beings might be aware that Ontario Government has proposed a new plan which among other reformations emphasizes the expansion of Ontario post-secondary schools. One of the elements which has been the topic of much debate is the goal of increasing international student enrolment by 50%. Most of the responses that I have encountered have been negative and the majority is considering this goal as a mere means to improving the financial situation of the schools and the government. I, however see absolutely no problem with this increase.
First of all, Canada is a very multicultural country. As co-op students many of us have worked in varied environments and seen the cultural diversity in workplaces. High schools, depending on the demographics they are located in typically have majority of one particular ethnicity. In such circumstances, universities should provide an environment for people from different backgrounds to come together, work alongside each other and learn each others strengths and weaknesses. Increasing international enrolment will help achieve this goal; by careful planning the government can ensure that international students aren’t concentrated in a particular region or university and that schools across Canada foster a healthy growing environment for students.
Secondly, Federal and provincial governments spend millions of dollars yearly to attract immigrants from different countries. A lot of the international students who come to Canada for undergraduate studies try to find jobs in Canada and reside here permanently. By increasing international enrolment, the effort and money spent on that front can be mitigated. Students start university at around 18 years – an age where personality and values are still developing and a person is more adaptable to life changes. On the other hand, people who immigrate in later parts of their lives find it more difficult to assimilate in a new society. The government has to spend more effort in terms of initiatives, workshops, and new immigrant sessions to help the transition. Increasing international enrolment will enable people who eventually plan on coming here make their transition at an earlier stage and ease the whole process of adjustment in a new society.
UW started its first satellite campus in UAE last fall. One of the incentives behind this initiative was to increase UW presence on the international front, as some US universities have successfully established satellite campuses. Similarly increasing international enrolment is a way to enhance our presence in the international community.
As a developed nation we are involved in many initiatives associated with using our technical knowledge to help others around the world in need e.g. Engineers Without Borders student volunteers work in Africa to solve problems faced by the locals there. In this context, a lot of concerns are raised as we view things from a bird’s eye view and seek solutions that fit our mentality well. Having more international students will bring us closer to people from different part of the world and enable us to understand their problems as they see them and thus find better solutions together.
Even after these arguments, a lot of you might still not be convinced because I haven’t touched the Achilles’ heel in this entire debate, i.e. Ontario government is doing this to increase the inflow of money. Let’s approach this issue from another angle: education in a particular program in a particular university costs some amount. A portion of this fee is subsidized by the government while the international students pay the entire sum out of their pockets. A mere comparison of the numbers does portray the international students on the unfair end but the fact is that education of local students is subsidized because they live here and pay taxes to their government. Subsidizing international students’ education with the government’s money which it gets from resident taxes is unfair to Canadian residents. If some one wants to get a degree from University of Waterloo and is paying whatever that education is offered for, what is the problem? The tuition fees increase almost on a yearly basis and students moan and complain about it but that increase is never seen as an ethical issue. UW international student percentage has increased from almost zero to eight percent in the past seven years. The most obvious conclusion from this statement is that these people are willing to spend the money to get an education from UW, have the learning experience of living away from home and learn to handle their problems by themselves. Increasing the quota for international students will just enable more students overseas to live this experience.
On a similar note, the Throne speech also said that “every qualified Ontarian who wants to go to college or university will find a place.” This rules out the argument that increasing the quota for international students will deprive local residents from attending universities/colleges.
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