The Canadian province of British Columbia has announced a two-year ban on new colleges from enrolling international students.
The ban affects all international students, including those from Nigeria and other countries.
British Columbia’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Selina Robinson, explained in a statement that the rationale behind the ban is that it is necessary to correct faults in an international education system that “has not been working as well as it should.”
Robinson highlighted the case of an Indian student who arrived in British Columbia expecting in-person classes, only to discover on the first day that her entire course would be delivered online.
This, Robinson noted, is precisely the type of “misleading” practice the province aims to eradicate.
“She arrived here being told that there would be in-class instruction, only to discover on her first day of class as she showed up that the entire course would be taught online. And she couldn’t understand why she spent all that money for an online programme,” Robinson said.
“We do need to stop the bad actors from misleading these students, and that’s what we’re here to fix,”
Robinson also announced the implementation of minimum language requirements for private institutions to ensure international students are adequately prepared before arriving in British Columbia.
“More details on the language requirement will be released in March, as work is still being done on that front,” she added.
The decision is likely to have a significant impact on both international students and private education providers in British Columbia.
With over 54% of the province’s 175,000 tertiary education students enrolled in private institutions, 80% of these private schools are located in the Lower Mainland region.
The minister also noted that the province will step up inspections of the schools to ensure standards are met, adding that many students are being taken advantage of.
“They worry that if they complain, it will risk their student visa, and it will sacrifice all the effort their families have put into making sure they can get a quality education,” she said. “So, they’re less likely to complain.
She stated that the two-year hiatus will provide the province with an opportunity to evaluate the consequences of recent alterations, including the federal government’s limitation on the number of study permits.
