Summary

Introduction

Significant rates of growth are being recorded in the number of foreign fee-paying (FFP) international students undertaking study in New Zealand. This growth is and continues to be experienced by both the public and private sectors.For example, between 1993 and 2000, the numbers of FFP students increased by 384% in primary schools (from 208 to 1,006), 258% in secondary schools (from 1,748 to 6,254), and 191% in public tertiary institutions (3,945 to 11,498).¹
In order to provide a better information base of the industry, the Ministry of Education commissioned BRC Marketing & Social Research to conduct a census of providers of ESOL² programmes for international students. These providers included primary and secondary schools, community education facilities, universities, polytechnics, English language schools, (other) private training establishments (PTEs), colleges of education, and wananga. This information base will, in turn, be used to inform the development of policy and practices relating to fee-paying international students studying in New Zealand.

This report presents the results of this census conducted between 23 May 2002 and 28 June 2002.

Objectives

Given the purpose of the survey, the questionnaires were designed primarily to collect the following information:

• Various indicators of industry size.
• Types of English language programmes and support offered by providers.
• Staffing resource and various issues relating to capability and capacity.
• Provider practice relating to ESOL governance/business planning.
• Provider practice relating to marketing and the provision of ESOL information.

Footnotes

1. Foreign Fee Paying Students in New Zealand: Trends. A Statistical Overview, Export Education Policy Project, Strategic Information and Resourcing Division, New Zealand Ministry of Education (June 2001).
2. ESOL is an acronym for English for Speakers of Other Languages.