Page 40 - StudyTravel Magazine December 2016 Issue

directiOn tHE YEar in rEviEW

Education South Africa (EduSA) www. p.6) until a more permanent accreditation the level of information sharing between
edusouthafrica.com to take the government regime can be implemented. Positive data school and agency associations.
to a court showdown (October, p.7). then emerged for the ELT sector in 2015 Language in London was the latest
Member data showing an alarming decline via Marketing English in Ireland www. casualty in the UK, but the fact that even
of 37 per cent in 2015 (June, p.5), which mei.ie with 10 per cent growth in student the school’s marketing group partners
the EduSA largely attributed to the loss of weeks and an impressive 38 per cent rise were reportedly unaware of the impending
student visas for language study, showed in student weeks (June, p.4). And this shutdown was emblematic of a few sudden
the urgency of the association’s position, month, the Ministry of Education has closures that left students standing outside
with two members already closing and launched head-on into an international locked doors: Dublin School of English in
others reporting downsizing of operations education growth strategy with ambitious Ireland and Vancouver English Centre in
for the year ahead. recruitment targets for the ELT and Canada – after a strike – were two more.
Is it a coincidence that the destinations higher education sectors (page 6), using The latter sparked a debate about
that experienced the most growth are the StudyTravel Magazine’s Global Market communication. The school had actually
ones with seemingly the most supportive Report as a data source. had its membership revoked by Languages
governments? Australia pushed through From the
amendments to the ESOS Act to provide outbound side,
greater flexibility to providers, students there were panics
and agents (March, p.6); toasted record in Brazil at the
data for 2015 (May, p.6); then promised start of the year
even greater growth after unveiling its when a threatened
first-ever national strategy for international tax on study
education, eyeing a massive one million abroad payments
student visa students in a “high market briefly paralysed
share scenario” (July, p.4). the market, but
Antipodean neighbours New Zealand, was eventually
meanwhile, followed the announcement withdrawn
of a new multi-level pathway visa scheme after intense
(Feb, p.7) – praised by providers in the industry lobbying the biggest english lesson in the World
New Zealand Market Analysis feature this (March, p.7). In
month – by announcing its own record- neighbouring Argentina, the removal of Canada www.languagescanada.ca but
breaking data, although reports of fraud by a tax on credit card payments in foreign continued to fraudulently use the logo
Indian agents and threats of deportation of currencies assisted the agency industry to for weeks afterwards, leaving agents
students tarnished the latter part of 2016 recover (April, p.6). unwittingly sending students to what they
(September, p.12). believed to be an accredited school. Such
Buffeted by scandals and closures Final act? actions can’t be fully policed, but Felca
over the preceding 24 months, the Irish An unfortunate fact of life in the industry www.felca.org President, Maura Leão,
government announced an ‘Interim List is the occasional bankruptcy of schools and called on accreditation bodies and educator
of Eligible Providers’ (ILEP) to shore up displacement of students. But a number of associations to communicate withdrawals
the industry, close accreditation loopholes regrettable incidents in 2016 left question and expulsions promptly to their agency
and introduce learner protection (March, marks about the manner of closing and association peers, in order for them to
disseminate to members and minimise
disruption for all (November, p.8).
Data and trends The aforementioned soap operas
at the annual data presentation by the generally end with a cliff-hanger of some
Federation of education and language shocking revelation or life-and-death
consultant associations (Felca) and situation, but we’ll settle on some happy
the global alliance of education and endings here as there were plenty of
language associations (gaela) www. positive news stories throughout the year,
gaela.org – held ahead of the Stud-
ytravel alphe uK conference in london many showing innovation and a sense of
– a divergence seemingly emerged in industry collaboration.
business trends. This month we report on the formation
With the exceptions of brazil and
russia, both with well-documented of a new Argentine agency association
political and economic issues, the (page 7), which has received support and
national agency associations reported encouragement from Felca and neighbouring
solid growth, but on the language peers; and the establishment of a new
school organisation side, positivity was
restricted to australia, new zealand and guardianship association in Ireland (page
ireland (see main body). 6), aiming to create a set of norms for
Johannes Kraus of education South africa at the gaela presentation
is such a divergence compatible? placements in high schools, a blossoming
Well yes. For a start, the outbound data covers all sectors, not just language. Spain’s association ase- education sector for the country.
proce www.aseproce.org, for example, stated that the majority of increased business was attributable
to high school programmes. another may be the growth of alternative destinations. We heard from And competitor schools in New South
JaOS www.jaos.or.jp about the phenomenal emergence of the Philippines as an elt destination in the Wales, Australia, joined forces for the
Japanese outbound market. English Australia www.englishaustralia.
indeed another apparent trend during 2016 was the continued growth in some of the non-
traditional higher education destinations. the east asian nations of Japan, Korea and china main- com.au world record ‘Biggest English
tained their transformation into major destinations as well as top source countries with record data. Lesson in the World’ on Bondi Beach in
germany’s universities, meanwhile, stayed well on course in their quest to reach 350,000 students by February (April, p.6)! Stay tuned for more
2020. and evidence emerged from turkish agency association ued’s www.ued.org.tr annual survey drama and intrigue during 2017.
that agents are increasingly finding a ways of promoting germany despite the free tuition model.
matthew@studytravel.network
deceMber 2016 | Studytravel Magazine | 37