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CANADA-INDIA CROSS-BORDER EDUCATION AND BILL 57:

BACKGROUND AND DIRECTIONS

Balbir S. SahniProfessor Emeritus of Economics

Concordia University

Presented at

Synergy 2010 Education ConferenceCanada India Education Council (CIEC)

Toronto, September 23, 2010

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Outline

1. Present Status:

Ample Unrealized Potential

2. Country-Specific Strategy Critical:

Judicious Choice from Internationalization Continuum

3. Bill 57 and Winning Conditions:

Towards Effective Partnership

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Statistical Evidence• Worldwide distribution of international student

mobility at post-secondary level - Distribution: Hosts and Countries of Origin

• Top 10 countries of origin of foreign students in Canada

- Flow (2009) and Stock (Dec 1st, 2009)

• Foreign students in Canada by level of study (Dec 1st, 2009)

• Canada-India Student Mobility - Annual Flow of Indian Students to Canada (1980-2009) - Stocks and Flows (1999-2009)

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Preamble• Cross-Border education in policy making everywhere

• Human resource and commercial dimensions (WTO guidelines) engaging education sectors (inclusive of science and technology)

• IIE and UNESCO sustaining statistical monitoring, exhibiting changes and potentials

• Canadian and Indian educational institutions and policy makers proactive, cumulating in the Higher Education MOU (June 2010)

• Foreign Educational Institutions Bill to be debated in the Parliament in India (Nov. 2010)

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1. Present Status: Ample Unrealized Potential

• India’s ongoing attempts: Kothari Commission (1966), National Education Policies (1986, 2009), Right to Education Act (2009), current Eleventh Five Years Plan (2007-2012), and Bill 57

• Of the present commitment at 5% of GDP for education, India spent merely 0.37% on higher education domestically and students going aboard $13 billion annually. Hence, major targets to strengthen educational infrastructure domestically, with efforts to welcome foreign educational institutions’ role in attaining enhanced accessibility to quality post-secondary education

• Canadian stakeholders forthcoming to explore and participate

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Worldwide Distribution of International Student Mobility at Post secondary Level

[3 million students]

(a) Distribution: Host Countries

U.S.A. 2%Malaysia 2%

Canada 2%Russian 2%

Germany 3%

South Korea 4%

India 5%

China 15%

Six other countries* 30-40k range 7%

France 2%Japan 2%

Remaining 136 countries 54%

*[Morocco, Turkey, Poland, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong SAR of China]

(IIE Open Doors Report 2009) (UNESCO Global Education Digest 2009)

Figure 1

(b) Distribution: Countries of Origin

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1.1 Global Cross-Border Student Mobility

• Important to view Canada-India cross-border mobility, initially in the global context (in terms of distribution by hosts and countries of origin, Figure 1).

1.2 Bill 57 and Canada-India Partnership

• Well-known ‘push and pull’ factors are at work in cross-border education flows internationally and obviously influencing Canada-India flows… displayed in next three pages:

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Top 10 Countries of Origin of Foreign Students in Canada

Flow of All Foreign Students into Canada for 2009 (Total: 85,131)

Rest of the w orld, 26,741,

32%

China, 16,369,

19%

Saudi Arabia,

5,292, 6%

France , 5,316, 6%

India , 5,716, 7%

Korea (South), 11,045,

13%

U.S.A, 4,514, 5%

Japan , 3,316, 4%

Mexico , 2,758, 3%

Germany, 2,330, 3%

Brazil, 1,734, 2%

Foreign Student Presented in Canada on Dec 1st, 2009 (Tota: 196,227*)

China , 49,909,

25%

Korea (South), 25,882,

13%

U.S.A, 11,255, 6%

Rest of the w orld, 63,598,

33%

India , 9,575, 5%

France , 9,287, 5%

Saudi Arabia,

8,750, 4%

Japan , 6,104, 3%

Hong Kong, 4,095, 2%

Mexico , 4,071, 2%

Taiw an, 3,701, 2%

Flow Stock

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Figure 2

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Foreign Students Present in Canada on Dec 1st, 2009 by Level of Study

Level of Study 2009 Percentage

Secondary or less 34,445 17.55%

Trade 19,239 9.80%

University 106,816 54.43%

Other post-secondary 27,809 14.17%

Other 7,467 3.81%

Level of Study not stated 451 0.23%

Total 196,227 100.00%

Source: Citizenship and Immigration CanadaPreliminary 2009 Data

Table 1

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Annual Flow of Indian Students to Canada (1980-2009)

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

Source: Entries of students with Indian CitizenshipSecured from CIC communication dated Sept. 17, 2010

Figure 3

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Canada-India Student MobilityStock and Flows (1999-2009)

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Stock Flow

Source: Citizenship and Immigration CanadaFacts and Figures 2008 and Preliminary 2009 Data

Figure 4

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2. Country-Specific Strategy Critical Judicious Choice from Internationalization Continuum

• The statistical evidence (Figure 2, 3, 4 and Table 1) yields the following inferences:

- By the end of 2009 there have been encouraging developments, in that India ranks 3rd (after China and South Korea) in terms of annual flow and 4th (after China, Korea and U.S.A) in terms of the stock

- When viewed the distribution of all international students in Canada by level of study, there are potentials to be realized for students from India at all levels of study, perhaps with increased efforts aimed at attracting entry into the universities and other post-secondary levels, besides recent attempts at other levels

- The levels of entry since 1999 and more so since 2005 have been sustained with further potentials to be explored and attained through a judicious choice of avenues within the internationalization continuum, and not necessarily exclusively relying on opening branch campuses

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• Among others, the following could form elements of strategic Canada-India engagement:

- Enhanced Interactions in Graduate Studies with Joint/ ‘Cotutelle Option

- Bilateral-Twinning of Canadian and Indian Institutions

- Broader-Twinning Consortium to Impart Canadian Type Education

- Academia-Industry Linkages

- Explore Collaboration in Vocational Education and Training

- Relevance of Two PPPs (Public-Private-Partnership and Purchasing Power Parity)

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3. Bill 57 and Winning Conditions: Towards Effective Partnership

• Succinctly stated, Bill 57 is a welcome development aimed at fostering cross-border education with the following goals:

(i) targeting minimization of gaps in the present education infrastructure in India;

(ii) realizing effective quality based educational partnership within an open and liberalized regime;

(iii) weeding out inappropriate and largely commercial

endeavors by foreign educational providers.

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• To facilitate accomplishment of mutually reinforcing targets, both Canada and India should welcome, among others, the following winning conditions:

- Two-way Flow of Students/Scholars Ultimate Objective

- Effective Harmonization of National Strategy

- Bilateral Funding of a Canada-India Knowledge Initiative

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Conclusion

• Expected developments towards the enactment of the Bill, (perhaps with some modifications) should be viewed as a necessary process.

• The major stakeholders in Canada should continue to strive, as the policy makers and institutions of higher education in India are exhibiting openness and welcome to foreign education providers.

• It is imperative to utilize the opportunity and sustain the momentum, during the time gap evident in the passage of the legislation and effective implementation of partnerships

• I remain optimistic that mutually rewarding partnerships will forge ahead!

Thank You!