Asia

Staying put

To find the future of international education in China, one doesn’t have to look far, writes Philipp Ortner, managing director of Chengdu-based Elite Education Consulting

Over the past 20 years or so, we have witnessed an ever-increasing internationalisation of education in China. This has meant that, on a whole, leading education institutions in the West could expect a rising tide of Chinese students to enrol at universities abroad, with a fastgrowing minority leaving at a younger age. Internationalisation of education did not only see a surge in Chinese student mobility, but also led to an increasing number of Western schools launching offshoots in China, propelling the growth of the bilingual segment, operators in which offer a blended curriculum combining Chinese and Western elements.

The Covid-19 pandemic, however, has had a major impact on internationalisation of education in China. And while the pandemic will fail to end this trend entirely, it will change the face of its development in a post-pandemic world.

The Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of two characters: one representing danger and the other representing opportunity. As for the coronavirus crisis, international education is one of the hardest hit industries. But as schools and educators continue attempts to mitigate damage, the future will create new opportunities and we can already see a glimmer of hope for a post-pandemic renaissance of international education.

A game of face For many years, leaving China to study at one of the world’s leading institutions was seen as something glorious, and, while not being the sole reason for this decision, having a child study abroad raised the social status – or ‘face’ – of a family. The hai gui (Chinese students returning home following their studies) benefited from the advanced educational systems of the Western world, which subsequently led to a prosperous future back in China. Fast forward to 2020, and the Covid-19 pandemic has somewhat cast a shadow over foreign studies, with families reconsidering their plans to send children overseas. ▶

▶Chinese parents – and grandparents, who are also considered majority of middle-class families will be more cautious about key decision-makers – are notoriously concerned about their making these kinds of investments; after all, education is children’s safety when sending them abroad; quite rightly, an investment in the future, and right now, investment in they are even more reluctant to part with their children during an uncertain future is undesirable for most. International a global health crisis. At the height of the pandemic in the schools in China pose a good solution to this problem, for

UK and US, the Chinese state made an unimaginable effort they are cheaper alternatives to overseas schooling, and have to cover the thousands of international students “stranded the key advantage of being closer to home. overseas”, most of them struggling to book return tickets Since the noughties, many Western brands have entered in the face of skyrocketing prices and flight cancellations. China’s education market, opening international schools

Although schools and guardians worked feverishly to across the country and making Western education more guarantee their students’ safety, the image accessible for the majority of Chinese of young children separated from home families. At the same time, a build-it-andhas left a lasting impression in the minds they-will-come approach to developments of Chinese parents considering sending It is very likely that has meant that a Western-style education their children overseas. Therefore, it is Chinese families is no longer a luxury reserved for the very likely that Chinese families who who were once privileged few, which has lessened the were once considering sending their child abroad will now opt for alternatives in China – and we have already seen a large considering sending their child abroad prestige of being a hai gui. China has also made huge government-backed investments in education to improve the number of families either cancel offers or will now opt for quality of provision across the country. defer enrollments. alternatives in China We have seen schools that would leave

That being said, the pandemic may some Western counterparts in awe spring catalyse a larger trend, involving an up across the country, and as public increase in young Chinese students education in China continues to improve, continuing their education within China, prior to going state-owned institutions, too, will compete for students abroad to attend university. While most families argue that who value the importance of an international education. the shift towards international education delivered in China We have also seen the emergence of more daxue cheng – is mainly motivated by concerns around health and safety, university cities – which are relatively new city districts the reality, though, is that this decision is an economic one, densely populated by university campuses, state schools and too, for the pandemic has left a dent in China’s economy. international schools. We will continue to see these future

As a result, vast swathes of employees and company owners hotspots for education emerge, as China is determined to are uncertain about what will come. become the centre of education for students coming from One

The mega-rich will continue to be able to afford many Belt, One Road countries (Pakistan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, years of steep tuition fees at elite schools. But a growing Thailand and Ukraine, to name a handful).

Homeward bound Post-pandemic, we might see a spike in demand for international schooling in China. We could be left with a situation in which a large proportion of families who once were considering sending their children abroad, now prefer a lower-risk and lower-cost alternative in China. This will, in theory, increase demand for places at international schools across the country – and both new and existing brands will seek to expand to make most of this fresh opportunity. Since 2010, we witnessed strong increase in numbers of international schools open across the Guangdong province, as well as the provinces in the east of China around the Yellow River, such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu. The Sichuan Province and its capital city Chengdu will be a sought-after place in the future for new international schools, with three more UK brands already due to open in 2020. The Chinese government has selected a number of city districts across China as Guojiaji Xinqu (state-level priority areas), which are due to receive extensive government investment, with a large portion of it being used to fund new education facilities. For international schools planning or thinking of opening offshoots in China, a post-pandemic surge in demand could accelerate projects.

We can assume that not all age groups of students going abroad will see an equal decrease immediately after the pandemic. While in the light of the pandemic, a

Philipp Ortner, Elite Education Consulting

significant proportion of Chinese students will opt to study at international school in China, the increasing number of international schools, as well as new, state-of-the-art public schools will increase inter-school student mobility and cooperation between European and Chinese schools. We also see an increase in sister-school agreements and agreements being signed between European and Chinese schools working towards increasing short-duration student mobility. Equally, applications to European universities are due to continue to increase, given the growing demand of the middle classes for international higher education and the continued leading position of higher education institutions in the West. Equally, not all things are gloomy for European boarding schools, as China’s middle class is still growing, and given the size of China’s population, the proportion of students studying at boarding school overseas won’t be considered small. It is likely, however, that the more renowned elite schools will continue to do well, while smaller ones will struggle and need to innovate their recruitment strategies.

It is highly unlikely that the desire among Chinese citizens to study abroad will die out anytime soon, but Covid-19 has shaken things up. Therefore, educators in China’s postpandemic future will need to plan carefully and pay close attention to new trends, one of which will see more domestic students receive international schooling on their doorstep. n