What Are The Global Trends Of International Student Mobility And Their Implications For Hong Kong - Term Paper Example

? What Are The Global Trends Of International Mobility And Their Implications For Hong Kong? Introduction A country’s ability to take advantage of the global economic information, not necessarily as a technology creator or developer but even as a user clearly depends on its capacity to participate to certain extent in the process of generating, accessing and sharing knowledge. The national development efforts that are prevailing worldwide are currently focused on acquiring, maintaining and improving such capacities (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). The system of higher education acts as a key components regarding the education, the training and the Research & Development (R&D) system of a national economy. One of the components in system of higher education is referred to as an academic mobility. The international mobility of quality students and scholars are recognized to be quite old phenomenon. It eventually happened at the beginning of the medieval European foundation of higher education when it was at times quite unattainable to differentiate the students from the teachers. Thus, internationalization of an advanced education includes transitional activities of students, scholars, programs and institutions across the cross border regions. These are jointly defined as transnational or cross border higher education (Montgomery, 2010). The global student mobility refers particularly to those students who are learning in a foreign country. It is regarded or treated as one of the components of international higher education, along with having the greatest socioeconomic, cultural and political implications. According to UNESCO, “a foreign student is a person enrolled at an institution of higher education in a country or territory of which he is not a permanent resident” (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). It has been recognized fact that most of the countries comply with the definition provided by UNESCO, regarding the global student mobility, but still there are certain distinctions among the countries regarding the definition of a foreign student (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). In this connection, UNESCO defines students having global mobility as those who are not the permanent residents of the host country and excludes those who are on exchange programs of one year or less. Especially, UNESCO is currently working on a more strict definition by including prior education as a major criterion. Thus, it can be concluded that more consistent along with more dependable data on foreign student or international student mobility is forthcoming (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). In the paper, the global trends of international student mobility along with their implications for Hong Kong has been elaborately focused and discussed followed by a strong conclusion upon this topic. Various aspects regarding the implications of global trends of internalization, role of globalization, transnational trends, factors affecting international student mobility, economy, society & higher education of Hong Kong and recent trends in the global student mobility will also be taken into consideration for this paper. Factors Affecting International Student Mobility There are several factors or ways through which the issue of globalization shifted to free market economy which has eventually affected the governance and financing of traditional institutions of higher education. The issue of increasing market forces marked a remarkable impact upon the higher education in the form of resource diversification and increasing dependence on tuition fees in public institutions along with expanding share of private institutions in national higher learning system (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). By focusing upon the above mentioned factors, it has been recognized that certain transformation has come at a time of increasing demand regarding global post secondary learning that ultimately change view of the purpose of the nation along with resulting decrease in public subsidies. The institutions of higher education in many countries have been given freedom in order to generate resources, combine them with state subsidies and implement them according to their capacity (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). The governments also look forward to manage the cross border higher education through multilateral and regional trade regimes that are normally designed to facilitate the flow of private goods and services. But there are certain limitations to this approach. The significant limitations include the trade frameworks that are not designed to deal with the academic, the research and the cultural purposes of the higher education of the cross border regions along with the trade and national educational policies which may conflict with each other in order to perform its social as well as cultural operations (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). Moreover, the limitations also laid emphasis upon concerning the trade rules to complex national higher education learning systems that are generally designed to serve the public interest and may have unintentional consequences that can be destructive for the mission. Thus, these are certain limitations of the approach (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). As far as the families are concerned, the result has been an increase in their contribution to expenditures on institutions of higher education. It has been duly recognized that there are still large differences in annual costs of higher education in different countries and also between public and private universities. This particular cost differential issue is one of the crucial factors that are affecting the global student mobility (Guruz & Zimpher, 2011). The idea and the perception of internationalization of higher learning is frequently used today not only within the universities and the colleges but also by governments and by other international organizations such as the UNESCO, the World Bank and the various non-government organizations (NGOs) among others (Harman, 2004). In this connection, the conception of internationalization is a practice of assimilating international or cross cultural aspects into various functions of higher learning institutions. It is also an important response to globalization. The term ‘globalization’ is often expressed as the flow of technologies, economies, principles and thoughts among others (Harman, 2004). In this modern world, internationalization of higher learning has enhanced particularly with the improvement in transport and communication, the expansion of trade between nations and by the use of modern communications and by the latest information technologies available. It has been recognized that there has been certain distinct trends introduced towards new forms of internationalization of higher education. Besides this, the government also came forward in order to examine the needs for their workforces to be internationally competitive as prerequisites to economic growth (Harman, 2004). Internationalization along with globalization have brought many changes such as new perceptions and viewpoints gained by the students along with staffs who are involved in exchanges, the cultural and the social impact of foreign students within local communities and international collaboration among others. Along with the benefits, there also lies a few downsides as well that include undermining of quality, effects of export education on foreign aid programs and the most significant factor lies in fuelling tensions between rich and poor countries among other downside factors (Harman, 2004). Moreover, rising globalization in the education market has provided significant numbers of students with greater preferences and flexibility and also offered many universities and countries with important additional sources of income. This approach regarding globalization, laid strong emphasis upon attracting international or foreign students to university campuses along with enhancing their mobility (Harman, 2004). International Student Mobility of Hong Kong The cross border feature of students is a significant aspect of the internationalization of higher learning. It has significant economic and academic implications and is expected to rise significantly during the coming years. Hong Kong became a part of Chinese territory in the year 1997. The territory retained substantial autonomy as Special Administrative Region within China and continued to operate their own laws, currencies and education systems (Li & Bray, 2007). Economic globalization and higher internationalization among others are a few of the trends of global student mobility and also provide certain implications especially for Hong Kong among other countries. In Hong Kong, the opportunities have generally been considered stronger than the threats that the country faces and certainly the students along with the institutions with regard to the fact of global student mobility have moved forward positively to grasp new opportunities for alliances, influences and interests among others (Maringe & Foskett, 2010). From the viewpoint of the policy makers particularly of Hong Kong, internationalization of higher learning is a deliberate mechanism in order to achieve the above mentioned goals along with the recruitment of non-local students as a part of the process of internationalization (Maringe & Foskett, 2010). International mobility of students not only contributes to the internationalization of institutions of Hong Kong but also has had a significant impact upon the outlook, the careers and the lifestyles towards the students. According to the observation made by Altbach, a model called ‘push-pull’ model was introduced particularly for international student mobility. He pointed out that certain students are pushed by unfavorable circumstances in their residential countries, whereas others are pulled by scholarships and other opportunities in host countries (Smith & Favell, 2006). The pull factors of the host countries include superior research facilities, pleasant socio-economic and political environments and the prospect of multinational classmates among others. Generally, the push factors create a generalized interest in overseas education but do not offer specific direction to individuals but at the same time the pull factors provide specific direction to potential host countries and institutions. It has been recognized that a few of the motivating factors of particular importance were a perception that the behavior of a foreign study was better than a local one (Li & Bray, 2007). The several issues like the student’s ability to gain entry into certain particular programs, a desire to improve understanding of foreign societies particularly the western ones and a target to migrate after graduation were certain motivational factors that have been recognized. Such factors were also recognized in the motivations of the Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau, though the factors have varied in significance among particular sub-groups (Postiglione & Tang, 1997). Hong Kong: Economy, Society and Higher Education The population of Hong Kong is approximately 6.1 million, providing it an average population density of more than 14,750 inhabitants per square mile. It was during the 1980s that the Hong Kong along with Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea was known one of the ‘Asian Tigers’ because of its strong economic growth. In the year 2002, Hong Kong attained a significant amount i.e. nearly 24,011 USD in its per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Genzberger, 1994). The University of Hong Kong that was established in the year 1911 with the goal of contributing to China’s modernization, stood alone for over 50 years until the growth of Chinese medium secondary schools in mid century, eventually which led to the founding of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in the year 1964 (Cummings, Fisher, & Locke, 2011). Moreover, the universities of Hong Kong that are prevailing within the country were relatively insulated from the business practices of the country. As more funds were provided in the mostly government supported system of higher education and the unit cost per student reached into prominent heights, there was an increased focus on achieving quality, efficiency, affordability and financial accountability. In this connection, the ‘Asian Financial Crisis’ that began in the year 1997 pushed the universities of Hong Kong in order to become more active in fundraising through donations as well as more market driven approaches of research and instructional services (Kau, 1997). Hong Kong’s higher education sector has attained several higher education institutions, of which a few are funded by University Grants Committee (UGC) and the rest by others. The Hong Kong government has encouraged higher education institutions through recruiting especially the Chinese students to draw the talent and diversify the student population for global economic competition and ultimately transform into a knowledge based society (Li & Bray, 2007). Certain particular methods in order to review the preparation prior to international student mobility that are readily available have been eventually designed by a few of the higher educational institutions in Hong Kong. The main objectives of introducing these methods are to increase the number of students of Hong Kong. Higher education institutions in Hong Kong provide more efforts in sending their students to abroad. It has been duly recognized that the number of students from Hong Kong attending institutions abroad has reached into a significant value as the international student market is increasing sharply (Shafaei, 2010). Along with the increment of the number of students in Hong Kong, the methods are also designed for promoting institutions of Hong Kong. The popular universities that have received a large number of incoming students are participating on preparing their own students to go on exchange programs. However, less popular universities are more anxious in order to attract incoming international students through conducting international campus which is one of the ultimate keys nowadays to promote institutions along with certifying a multicultural environment for students so they would become “truly global citizens” (Palmer, 1998). The Trend of Globalization Along With Cross Border Education and Its Implications The trend of globalization among others has a significant implication for Hong Kong. The commencement of globalization in higher learning can be perceived as a part of internationalization within the country. Globalization implies higher education is becoming a designed activity in order to introduce certain different cultural viewpoints to fit the requirements of a global labor market centered on knowledge production. The institutions of higher education, in the context of globalization, become yet another group of organizations producing and selling goods or services for the global market in order to achieve the desired profit. In other words, under this frame of analysis, higher education institutions became corporate entities functioning on the basis of the operating principles of the corporate sector (Varghese, 2008). Cross border learning is one of the best visible examples of globalization of higher education for Hong Kong. It entails the mobility of teachers, students and programs across the national boundaries. The international market for students accounts for billions of Dollars and hence there lies a severe rivalry among higher education providing institutions so as to draw foreign students and to create both income and profit (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank & Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Education, 2007). Cross border education involves the mobility of provisions and services in foreign countries. Cross border education through transnational providers both in terms of programs and teachers from one country to the other implies that students are not required to travel abroad. Countries such as Hong Kong have high concentrations of transnational providers offering courses in the domestic market (Findlay & Tierney, 2010). One of the important mechanisms of cross border education in context of globalization involves the transfer of students from domestic to foreign countries such as traditional overseas study programs. However, the two forms of education that include international providers and students learning abroad taken together can be termed as ‘cross border education’ which ultimately adds towards the increasing internationalization of education (Johnstone, 2010). This internationalization of education along with global learning program has gained immense importance in the global trends of international student mobility. Consequently, both cross border and global education is becoming a fast and rising phenomenon in the process of higher education (Johnstone, 2010). The Trend of Internationalization and Its Implications Along with the implications of globalization particularly in Hong Kong, the other global trends such as the trend of internationalization also had certain major implications over this country. The global trend of internationalization is not new in higher education of Hong Kong. The trend of internationalization tends to address the increment in cross-border activities into national systems of education (Yang, 2002). The businesses of the universities of Hong Kong are ultimately contributing to the production and dissemination of universal knowledge. The universities are the institutions that possess dual characteristics of both national and international. The content and knowledge imparted is regarded as universal and international, while the ownership, structure and organization are regarded as national (Yang, 2002). Moreover, the internationalization of education entails the conveying of knowledge, skills and values which possess universal appeal and application. The internationalization of education also took place in such a form to facilitate the students to acquire international skills without leaving the country (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, 2004). International Student’s Mobility: Recent Trends The recent trends of the international student mobility marked a significant reliance upon the market for the decision making process in the productive as well as in the social sectors of the economy. The application of market principles in higher education introduced the principle of paying for the services rendered. The public universities started introducing fees which were already recognized particularly in the private universities that normally depend upon the fees for their survival and expansion (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank & Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Education, 2007). In this connection, many of the private universities were affiliated to foreign universities and levied fees at levels which were close to international pricing. These features eventually changed the emergence of the private sector, cross border institutional linkages and full pricing of educational services that contribute towards conveying the theme of education under trade laws (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank & Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Education, 2007). The number of students practicing higher learning in foreign countries has been growing constantly over the years. It increased by nine times between the year 1963 and 2006. This rapid increase regarding the growth of higher education in foreign countries is being significant towards the recent trends of global students’ mobility. Moreover, this increase in growth indicates an increasing requirement for cross border education and efforts are duly made by many countries in order to attract more international students to higher education (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank & Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Education, 2007). Conclusion The students, institutions and governments across the cross border regions have sought to exploit and manage the new possibilities along with various challenges that the global trend of globalization has opened up. Until the onset of the ‘Global Financial Crisis’, it appeared that certainly the flow of global students’ mobility from countries particularly in the Asia-Pacific region would continue to grow rapidly in recent years. The government of Hong Kong, China and several others have increased their scholarship programs especially for research students as a way of quickly expanding the size of the academic workforce (Marginson, 2011). Turning towards Hong Kong, it has been recognized that the workers will require higher skills in order to cope up with their jobs as the economy becomes more knowledge and technology intensive. Hence, there will be heavy demand for higher educational qualifications. In relevance with Hong Kong, it is very much evident that the higher the level of education, the higher the tendency to immigrate. Although Hong Kong expanded the local higher education sector, the demand for tertiary graduates increased faster than local supply. In consequence, overseas universities remained major suppliers of high level personnel for Hong Kong (Bray & Koo, 2005). Although there are certain issues relating with the quality and the comparability of data on cross border education flows, various evidences suggests that both demand and supply for international student mobility are growing worldwide and will continue to do so in the future. The national governments have to identify the global challenges such as economic crisis, climate change and poverty among others which eventually play a major role towards the expansion of highly skilled global workforces and also help to advance increased cross-cultural knowledge as well as understanding (King, Marginson, & Naidoo, 2011). References Bray, M. & Koo, R. (2005). Education and society in Hong Kong and Macao: comparative perspectives on continuity and change. US: Springer. Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. (2004). 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Asia-Pacific Journal of Education 27 (2), pp. 157-169. Read More