Primary school principals are alarmed at the Government's proposal to stop enrolments of international students under Year 9.
The consultation process began on November 29 and ends on March 11.
The Ministry of Education consultation document cited concerns such as resourcing pressures, diversion from domestic students, inequity between schools and wider migration pressures, which underpin the proposal to limit the number of international students in primary and intermediate schools.
On Friday, National MP for Pakuranga Simeon Brown hosted a meeting to discuss the issue. Principals from the East Auckland region and National's education spokesperson Erica Stanford attended.
Principals are asking where the Ministry of Education's data is coming from, Stanford saying it’s unclear.
"I have heard that the ministry is saying it's based on anecdotal evidence, which is very disappointing," Stanford says.
"It's just got huge implications for the sector. It's going to mean that schools who rely on quite a lot of funding for teacher aides for New Zealand students who have learning difficulties will not be able to hire or retain those teacher aides, and it's going to be New Zealand kids who miss out."
Stanford says she is in touch with a North Shore principal who says the school relies heavily on funding generated through international students to support wellbeing and mental health at the school.
"Even as a decile 9/10 school they have huge challenges in this area and sadly a student died suddenly last year after battling depression. If not for that funding they would not have the money for the mental health workers," she says.
1News can't name the school to protect the identity of the family.
"International students have enabled us to provide a level of mental health support for our students that isn't funded by the Government," the principal told 1News.
At the time of the student's death, the borders were shut and there were no international students, nor funding. The principal made it clear however the student's death wasn't attributed to the reduced funding.
"Things are really tough for kids," the principal says. "We are using our reserves to fund mental health counselling but without international students in the next few years we will no longer be in a position to provide this additional support."
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The principal of the decile 10 school says low-decile schools get more funding than high-decile schools. The support and resources for one school may not be available for another school depending on their decile rating.
"Many low-decile schools have access to social workers; in my school, the principal and deputy principal have to be the social workers.
"Higher-decile schools have just as many challenges but they are just different. We may not have as many children coming to school hungry but learning support needs are huge - mental health, domestic violence issues are huge."
Alan McIntyre, principal of Owairoa Primary School in Howick, told 1News the school employs 13 learning assistants, only three of which are ministry-funded. He said without the funding that comes from its international students, the school would lose the other 10.
"The Government fund us $34,000 a year for the provision of teacher aides. We have 13 of them, it costs over one-third of a million dollars.
"International student income pays for these services that help children with huge anxiety issues, particularly with the pandemic and other special needs. To see that money disappear and those teacher aides walking out the door will literally make you cry to see them go."
He said the school would be left with three teacher aides "if we are lucky".
Ministry of Education responds
“The Minister of Education has requested that we review the provision of international education in primary and intermediate schools," says the ministry's group manager of policy, Shelley Robertson.
"International fee-paying students enrolled at primary and intermediate level contribute to New Zealand through both the promotion of global citizenship and the economic contributions. However, most international fee-paying students are enrolled in high-decile schools and in the Auckland region, creating an inequitable distribution of these educational and immediate economic benefits across school deciles and New Zealand regions.
"The revenue generated by international fee-paying students should cover the costs associated with teaching and learning for those students. Schools can decide what remaining funds are spent on," Robertson says.
"The border closure has meant that schools have gradually adjusted to reduced international revenue, as the stream has been disrupted significantly. To mitigate the further loss in revenue for schools and allow current international fee-paying students to finish their education in New Zealand, it is proposed that international fee-paying students currently enrolled in New Zealand schools would be able to finish their education.
"In terms of the potential decrease for domestic students to become global citizens at a young age, there is already high diversity in New Zealand due to migration, particularly in Auckland. In addition, dependent international students will still enter our education system based on their parents’ visa."
Robertson says there have been four consultation workshops so far, two in December and two in February. Two of the meetings involved international education peak bodies.
"Restricting the enrolment of international students at schools under Year 9 may have a minor pipeline impact for international education enrolments at secondary level. However, in 2019 only 214 students path-wayed from primary to secondary
"No final decisions have been made and feedback on the public consultation will help inform our advice.”
NZPF supports proposal
New Zealand Principals' Federation (NZPF) president Dr Cherie Taylor-Patel says it supports the Government's proposal.
"While some high decile school principals welcome international students for the revenue they generate and the cultural contributions they make, many principals believe the international students issue highlights inequities in our schools and our system.
"The system as it is, reinforces the 'Matthew Effect', where the rich get richer and the poor continue to miss out. There is no flow-on positive impact for all schools, or for the system, in that data shows most Year 1-9 international students do not stay in the New Zealand education system long-term.
"NZPF believe that services the income from international services provide, such as additional school nurses and mental health support, should be made available through the system, to all students. Within schools, the focus on international students can also draw resource away from other students with specific learning needs."
But Stanford says the proposal is "hugely disempowering" for schools.
"We typically allow schools to make decisions for themselves, we trust principals to do the right thing.
"If you go back and look at ERO reports for schools who have international students, I think you will find there hasn’t been any concerns noted about those international students and any of the problems that were noted in the discussion document," Stanford says.
Brown says a number of schools in his Pakuranga electorate bring in international students.
"I really find it quite gutting actually to see that lost and those opportunities lost for local students here in Pakuranga but also the ability for students to be able to be part of an interconnected global world and a multicultural city. All of those opportunities are potentially going to be reduced - something which I think is going to be very disappointing, very sad."
Education Minister, Chris Hipkins has been approached for comment.
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