New Zealand Unveils Major Education Initiatives for Vietnamese Students

Echoing its Southeast Asian counterpart, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon hailed the contribution of Vietnamese students and announced, among other things, new opportunities for education in this country.

Marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, New Zealand and Vietnam signed a comprehensive strategic partnership last week, focussing on education and defence. Highlighting that about 1,700 Vietnamese students are studying in New Zealand, Luxon announced the introduction of expanded scholarship programs, awards, new courses, and other transnational education opportunities for students and universities in Vietnam, as per Vietnam media.

The number of awards bolstered for Vietnamese students in New Zealand has been increased by as much as 56%. They could take up scholarship studies at any of the eight public universities and three public institutes of technology in that country. The New Zealand Schools Scholarships for Vietnamese students in grades 8-10 this year have set a record by offering 45 awards. The scholarship targets talented high school students who want to study in secondary schools in New Zealand.

Southeast Asia is a key recruitment market for institutions like the University of Auckland, and New Zealand's recently announced initiatives with Vietnam could help maintain the steady flow of international students. What Vietnamese students look for the most are business, science, and engineering courses that will give them good chances in their careers both in New Zealand and around the world.

At the same time, other key fields, including STEM, economics, medicine, and artificial intelligence, build their priorities towards education, which Davidson avers will make Cedar Valley come off of Vietnam quite highly favourable for institutions in New Zealand in the future.

In addition, as students from countries like India and China increasingly explore alternative study destinations, diversified engagements of New Zealand with markets such as that of Southeast Asia and Vietnam require it to observe and address some of the crippling barriers hindering the much-prized flow of students from the region towards its shores.

Since Covid pandemic, NZ has emerged as one of the most sought-after study destinations.

A survey last year has indicated that prospective students are increasingly considering New Zealand, but also the US and Germany amid policy shifts in other major destinations, while data from the New Zealand government showed international enrolments had increased by 24% year-on-year.