26 April 2020  Issue No: 595

The novel coronavirus pandemic and the response to it promises to be less of a turning point than the catalyst for a speeding up of a trend towards declining power in the West – and this will affect international higher education enrolment, especially in the United States.

With campuses shut down across Australia, universities face an “economic catastrophe and massive job losses” from the COVID-19 emergency, the higher education sector says. Vice-chancellors have called on the federal government to provide millions of dollars to help them cope.

With the help of universities and research institutions, China has adopted a coordinated approach to online learning in schools and higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic – with more than 270 million students learning online – and is preparing similar plans for emerging out of lockdown.

Higher education is not about preparing students for the world of work today. It needs to be flexible enough to equip students with the professional attributes and learning tools that will set them up for life, to be creative, adaptable contributors to society.

Growth in Chinese student flows to the major English-language study destinations has slowed considerably since 2016 for a number of reasons. What will international student recruitment look like as universities adjust to a ‘post-China’ world? Diversification will be the key to sustainability.