ERO to check care of international students
ERO to check care of international students
The
Education Review Office (ERO) will look more closely into
the pastoral care of international students in secondary and
composite schools from the start of next year, Minister
Responsible for the Education Review Office Trevor Mallard
announced today.
“This government is committed to ensuring international students are well looked after when they study in New Zealand,” Trevor Mallard said.
“The export education industry is worth an estimated $1.7 billion a year, and it’s important we ensure it is delivering quality education, and quality care to students who come here to study.
“For this reason, I have decided that as part of its regular education reviews, ERO will next year start assessing in depth the extent to which the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students is being implemented.
“The focus will be on the welfare and accommodation aspects of the Code, and ERO will be seeking evidence from a sample of homestay carers to ensure the school is meeting its obligations in these areas,” Trevor Mallard said.
Under the Code, schools must provide a range of support services to foreign fee paying students, including advice on accommodation, courses, welfare facilities, health services, New Zealand laws, including driving laws and licensing, and addressing harassment and discrimination.
All schools must have robust procedures in place for the selection and ongoing monitoring of homestay carers and homestay residences, and must provide carers with support and information on good practice.
Schools must also communicate regularly with parents of international students. ERO will include information from the new in-depth investigation of code requirements in its regular reports on individual schools.
By mid-2004, ERO
will also produce an Education Evaluation Report on the
pastoral care of foreign fee paying students, based on
information and recommendations from the individual
reports.