International Education Taking Revenue Hits
International student figures released by the Ministry of Education show student numbers at English Language (down 28 percent) and secondary schools (down 21 percent) are the most affected. English language institutions lost almost $21 million, down from $78,680,713 in 2004 to $57,681,825 in 2005, as student enrolments dropped 9,377, from 34,005 to 24,638. Secondary schools lost over $29.2 million in revenues as foreign student numbers dropped by 2,615, from 12,573 to 9,958 - a loss that averages out to well over $11,000 per student.
Other private providers with both domestic and foreign students (PTEs) lost $3.4 million in income, a 7 percent decline from $52,068,891 to $48,663,202 - even though foreign student numbers gained 4 percent, to 6,445 from 6,174. Universities and polytechnics, on the other hand, lost very small numbers of students (2 percent each) but gained more revenues from foreign students - about $12 million (4 percent) more for universities and $7 million (10 percent) in the case of polytechnics.
Students who did come here this year were overwhelmingly likely to have come from China:
China sent 34,088 students, for 41.4 percent of total market share; South Korea - 12,670 (15.4 percent); Japan - 11,405 (13.8 percent); Thailand - 2,664 (3.2 percent); US - 1,987 (2.4 percent); Taiwan - 1,858 (2.3 percent); India - 1,823 (2.2 percent); and Germany - 1,714 (2.1 percent).
Reasons cited for the decline were changing requirements from students, the Kiwi dollar, rapidly increasing global competition and more in-country delivery in key markets.
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