New Zealand will reopen its borders to students on 31 July and wants Brazilians. New Zealand Education Minister Chris Hipkins was in São Paulo last week to show interest in Brazil. He went to meetings at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to set up change. “We would love to see more Brazilians come to study in New Zealand,” the minister said in an interview with Estadão. Said.
In addition to Brazil, he was only in Chile and the United States to promote the country’s opening up to foreign students. New Zealand has been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic and has become known as an example in the fight against covid-19.
Currently, 74% of the eligible population have received their third dose of the vaccine and the government has begun to open borders – 42% in Brazil. Only a few months ago New Zealanders were allowed to travel outside the country, tourism has reopened and now student visas will be allowed again.
Before the pandemic, around 3,200 Brazilians a year were traveling to New Zealand on this type of visa, which is required for those studying for more than three months, according to Hipkins. Only tourist time is needed for less time.
However, the New Zealand government wants to attract researchers for exchange at universities in the country, as well as those who want to learn English. “New Zealand and Brazil have many common issues that both care about and need to work on, such as climate change, renewable energy, agriculture, indigenous education. We can gain a lot by exchanging experiences on this issue,” he says.
According to a 2021 survey by the Brazilian Education and Language Travel Association (Belta), New Zealand is the fourth most sought-after destination for exchange by Brazilian students, alongside Australia. Before the pandemic, the international education sector was the fifth largest source of income for the New Zealand economy.
The government also wants to encourage Brazilians to graduate or study in fields where the country lacks professionals. There is a list of these activities in various fields (construction, chemistry, electricity, telecommunications, among others), psychology, psychiatry, radiology, veterinary and nursing.
Previously, any student could continue to work in the country even after finishing his education. The new policy, which started on 31 July, only allows the foreigner to work if they are enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree. For example, those with a two-year master’s degree can work in the country for another two years.
closing of schools
Hipkins, who is also the country’s minister for Covid-19, said New Zealand public schools were closed for only about eight months during the entire outbreak – in Brazil, it took two years in several states. In Auckland, where cases only rose in 2021, the school system had to be shut down for another eight months. Education in the country is considered one of the best in the world, with a key position in Pisa, a student exam administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
“Unlike the rest of the world, but now with the borders open, schools are learning to cope with covid, some parents are even afraid to send their young children,” she says. However, since our vaccination rate is high, we have come to the point where staying closed for a longer period of time will do more harm than good.”
According to the minister, due to the short time the schools were closed, there was practically no impact on the learning of children measured in the assessments. In Brazil, studies show that students lag by ten years in their knowledge of Portuguese and Mathematics.
When there is a student diagnosed with covid, he is taken from the school and other families in the class get free tests. Classrooms and schools are not closed. “It only happens when teachers are all covid, have no substitutes, and have to work from home,” he adds.
The minister did not go to Brasília and did not request meetings with members of the Jair Bolsonaro government, about which he preferred not to comment. Instead, USP dean Carlos Gilberto Carlotti spoke with Júnior and representatives of Unesp and Unicamp about agreements and exchanges between undergraduate and graduate students.
The University of Auckland, New Zealand, ranks sixth in the ranking. Times Higher Education Impact Ranking 2022 is a global survey that evaluates organizations that are best aligned with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The USP has approximately 300 articles published in partnership with Auckland and, according to the dean, student and researcher exchanges aim to increase this number.
source: Noticias
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