Young International Students are not Commodities

Media Release
September 24th, 2009
From NZEI Te Riu Roa
For immediate use

Young International Students Should Not Be Treated As Commodities

Relaxing the guardianship rules for young foreign fee paying students amounts to the exploitation of young children for commercial gain, according to the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Currently young international students aged 13 or under must live with their parent or legal guardian while studying in New Zealand. However the government is now considering a more flexible policy which would allow children aged 10 and under to enroll in a New Zealand school without that requirement.

NZEI firmly believes that as a matter of principle, it is not in the interests of young children to be sent to New Zealand to receive an education, and it is certainly not in their interests to be left without the support of a parent or legal guardian.

“I think most people would find the idea of young children, particularly primary aged students, being dropped in a different country and culture, and being separated from their parents for weeks at a time, pretty difficult to comprehend,” says NZEI President Frances Nelson.

She says the idea of relaxing the policy reflects a growing financial importance on international students.

“I know many schools are struggling with their operational funding and need to supplement their income but I find it disturbing that schools would be tempted to use vulnerable students to balance their budgets.”

NZEI will be taking part in the government’s consultation process.

ENDS

© Scoop Media