Policy On Overseas Students Soon

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32381, 21 August 1970, Page 12

Policy On Overseas Students Soon

A co-ordinated policyon the admission of overseas students to New Zealand universities is “likely” by 1972, according to the ViceChancellor of the University of Canterbury (Professor N. C. Phillips).

In an interview in Christchurch , yesterday, Professor Phillips said that the need for a co-ordinated policy on the limitation of entry of overseas students was the feature of a recent conference conducted by the vicechancellor’s committee and attended by representatives of the University Grants Committee, the Department of Labour, the Department of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the New Zealand University Students' Association, and its constituent associations.

“I am not at liberty to discuss the details of co-ordina-tion, but it is likely to be achieved by 1972,” he said. Asked if he agreed with a suggestion that overseas students should be charged higher fees than their New Zealand counterparts, Pfofessor Phillips said that although there are arguments for this he would oppose a policy of differential fees. “I believe that once we have discharged our obligations to the Government these

students should be admitted on academic merit. If we take overseas students we should take them, within our capacity, on the same terms as domestic students," Professor Phillips said. In Great Britain the Ministry of Science and Education had compelled universities to charge higher fees for overseas students. “Those universities which did not charge higher fees were penalised through their block grants. I don’t like this principle,” he said. About an increase in overseas students, Professor Phillips said that this was a matter for individual universities; they would have to see how they could cope within Government policy and the

existing block financial grant. “I assume that these grants were not calculated on the assumption that there would be the large influx of overseas students that has occurred,” Professor Phillips said.

The whole question of the admission, exclusion and accommodation of overseas students, and related matters, will be the subject of a conference to be held by the University Students’ Association in Wellington on September 7 and 8. This conference will be a development of a conference in Christchurch in- May at which the N.Z.U.S.A. was urged to press the Government for a co-ordinated policy on overseas students.