Protect International Students

カナダCBCニュースに掲載された記事についてのコラムです。　CBCにも意見として送信しました。　かねてより評判の悪いノバスコシア・ハリファックスの語学学校について。   留学生は「お金」、それだけ。

Protect International Students 

A language school owner in Halifax is asking the Canadian government to bend its travel restrictions to help her business stay afloat, according to a top CBC news story. This pits business profit against international students who are vulnerable during a pandemic. 

The Halifax language school argues that International students should be exempt from the three-day quarantine. “We are hanging on by our fingernails.” (CBC news) Its concern is not about international students’ convenience. The owner demands the Canadian government to bend its strict quarantine rule in order to keep its business. She says the school has only 25% capacity of students, it needs student money, or it can’t pay bills. Please, government, let me have international students more easily so that I can keep my business. The strict restrictions are asking international travelers to refrain from coming to Canada to protect both Canadians and themselves from COVID-19. The school owner is more concerned about paying bills than putting human lives in danger. 

The government responded: “The federal government says it’s heard the concerns but is not making any changes. International students can continue to learn English or French online and many will still be eligible for a federal post-graduate work permit.” It adds “there aren’t plans to alter the requirements at this time.” (CBC news) Many international students attending Canadian universities are now studying online from their home countries. They don’t have to fly to Canada to go through the three-day quarantine. They can study through Canadian universities while staying home safely. 

Then, why is the Halifax language school arguing for more students during a pandemic? “International students want to come to Canada to learn more than just a new language. An essential part of their language learning is the whole Canadian cultural experience. The students that come here are doing more than learning English, they want to learn the Canadian way of life.” (CBC news) However, for international students attending Canadian universities, an essential part is a formal education from a Canadian university. International students at universities are not here to learn how to live in Canada. They are here to earn a degree. A cultural experience can be an effective addition, but it can wait. This pandemic shouldn’t be the time for foreign students to come to Canada seeking cultural experience.

CBC news says, “A national non-profit organization that represents over 200 accredited English and French language education programs says that latest rules make it hard for all but the most wealthy students to travel.” The organization criticizes the government restriction for hindering middle-class student opportunities. It may expect the money from middle-class International students would pour in if the three-day quarantine restriction was lifted. The Halifax school owner continues, "We are basically imposing rules that are discriminating against middle-class students at this point. When you increase the cost of entry to Canada from $500 or $1,000 to $4,000 or $5,000, many students are saying 'No, we are not going to Canada.'" Of course, students are reluctant to come now. They do not want to risk their lives, not just because of cost.

Sadly, this whole issue embodies how international students are regarded here in Canada. “The latest travel measures are putting students more at risk of contracting COVID-19 because they are being exposed to more people as they travel between the arrival cities and different hotels.” the Halifax owner goes on. Students are already safe in their home countries. Whatever reason she posits, she cannot pluck them out of their safety zone. It is not the three-day hotel stay that will put them in danger. Vulnerable international students will risk their lives if they travel to Canada to attend a language school which regards them simply as a cash cow.

(I’ve been assisting international students in Canada for the last three decades. I feel obliged to protect young people from predatory business models in international education. I have been warning my country, Japan, of the toxic environment surrounding language schools in Canada.)

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