Category: Wellbeing

Why investing in education means investing in child safety

“70% of ten-year-olds in low and middle income countries are unable to read a simple text with understanding. In sub-Saharan Africa, that figure is 90%”

This year’s International Day of Education should be a chance to celebrate the transformative power of learning. But for too many children, access to quality education is difficult or even impossible.

The UN estimates that 250 million children and youth globally are not in school. Hundreds of millions more attend, but without adequate learning outcomes. The World Bank reports that 70% of ten-year-olds in low and middle income countries are in “learning poverty” – unable to read a simple text with understanding. In sub-Saharan Africa, that figure is 90%.

Violence against children and the threat of it are a critical factor holding back progress for educational attainment and other development goals. Around 1 billion children globally experience some form of emotional, physical or sexual violence every year. On average, up to 5% of national GDP is lost every year as a consequence of this global scourge.

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Berry College lifts its international experiences office to new heights

“Having all of their travel documentation easily accessible helps to quickly verify when and where students are traveling”

Managing a robust study abroad program with a small office isn’t a simple task, and in today’s environment of shrinking global offices, technology support is a must to ensure student success.

Berry College, a small, private liberal arts college in Georgia, is a study abroad champion. More than 25% of Berry’s 2,000+ students study abroad while attending. But to increase the efficiency of their two-person international experiences office and have the ability to grow their programs, they needed to move from paper and Excel to an online system. Berry implemented a global engagement solution to centralize its study abroad information, showcasing their programs, enabling online applications and enabling quick access to accurate student travel information.

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From wellbeing to study experience: what do EU/international students think?

“One in five EU/international students have still considered dropping out of university”

The UK Student Wellbeing Survey, an independent large-scale study commissioned by Studiosity, reported its findings in mid-June. This work seeks to add another important platform for students to share their voice, thoughts, feelings and expectations of study and university life.

From the research among 2,050 students, we can now share the findings derived from over 450 EU/international students at universities in the UK.

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Five roles of education leaders who are prioritising student wellbeing

“Beneath the hum of student resurgence, student wellbeing is still a concern, particularly for international students”

Across the globe, education providers are eyeing 2023 with positivity. Borders have mostly opened, lockdowns have mostly ceased (except for China), international students are returning, and there’s a general buzz on campus again as Covid-as-normal life proceeds to create its new shape.

However, beneath the hum of student resurgence, student wellbeing is still a concern, particularly for international students, who are more likely than domestic students to experience anxiety, depression, wellbeing issues, and other mental health concerns. This is concerning for everyone in the sector – from students to academics and executives – given that research has consistently shown a strong association between symptoms of mental distress, academic self-efficacy and study progress.

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International students’ mental health is big business

“Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are at a greater risk of experiencing mental health issues”

We can all agree that Covid has tested those with even the most robust mental health, let alone international students and visitors who were cut off from returning to their home countries.

The same goes for students and visitors who quickly returned home to be with family before the borders shut and could not return to their life in Australia.  Both cohorts have had their mental fortitude tested during this unprecedented period.

Whether it manifested in financial stress, grief, loss, or just the trauma of going through a pandemic isolated from their support system, there’s no doubt that the reality of coming to study in Australia was vastly different to the dream they were once sold. Especially when students were learning online in their bedrooms in India, Nepal or elsewhere and not in Australia at all living the life they imagined.

One in four young people in Australia will experience mental health issues each year. Importantly, students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are at an even greater risk. Moreover, more than one in four university students experience high-stress levels that negatively impact their studies, relationships, and daily lives.

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Is mental health support & healthcare provision the new differentiator in the UK education market?

“We don’t see mental health being able to be dealt with by one person or one department”

In a crowded competitive market looking to attract both domestic and international students, UK Boarding Schools & Universities are always looking for a competitive edge.

Pre Covid, pastoral care was an issue that families who came to UK Education Guide for independent support were increasingly asking about, we could already see this issue rising up the list of questions particularly from parents selecting Boarding schools for their children.

A review of a new book by Marian Salzman, The New Megatrends, presents a “2038 futurein which the pandemic has never gone away and in which we live with a parade of ever-mutating variants. In that world, protection against disease is a luxury good. Universities that wish to position themselves to thrive in that imagined future may want to invest in campus health as a core capability, right up there with teaching and research excellence.”

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Back to the classroom post lockdowns

“One could be forgiven for thinking that a wellbeing need is really just the same as a mental health need”

As children go back to school, and we try to unravel the diverse impacts of the pandemic, the focus has quietly shifted from the long-term – recovering lost learning – to the immediate: student wellbeing, writes Barry Mansfield is Director of the Halcyon London International School.

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What parents of special needs children need to know about international schools

“Without full disclosure of a disability, a school may accept a child under false pretences only to discover they cannot adequately educate a child”

 

For many expatriate families, international schools afford the opportunity for their children to be educated their national language with similar standards to their home country’s curriculum. The challenges that many families face is related to finding an international school that can effectively educate their child with special needs, writes Joseph Graybill, school psychologist at the Anglo-American School in Moscow.

As private foreign institutions, international schools are not required to comply with special education laws such as the Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA). However, in recent years, international schools have adopted special education programming to serve children with disabilities.

The provision of special education services in most international schools does not follow IDEA to the letter of the law but does model its special education services based on American federal guidelines. For example, many international schools provide typical special education services through the adoption of an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

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Preserving the mental health of international students during national lockdown

“Open, transparent and clear communication with families is critical – now more than ever”

 

“These are unsettling times for adults, let alone international students far from home. It’s our responsibility to step up and provide them with the support they need to make it through this crisis and come out on the other side feeling happy and healthy,” writes Sarah Bakhtiari, co-principal and director of Welfare at Bellerbys College Brighton.

With Britain’s schools closed indefinitely, many international students are left stranded by travel restrictions or national lockdowns. While these students remain in the UK, institutions have a duty of care to them. At Bellerbys, we’re currently looking after 135 international students, aged between fourteen and eighteen, who are unable to return home. Here’s how we’re approaching their mental health and wellbeing.

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The magnitude of the crisis among international students

“Not many international students are equipped to advocate for themselves when a crisis arises”

This week’s guest blog is by Ruby Cheng, director of the International Enrollment Program (Asian Pacific Region) at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

I’m writing this article as an international educator, a guardian of a college international student, and an advocate who wants to voice up the concerns for the vulnerable and underrepresented group, international students, during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

When the COVID-19 became imminent in China in early February, I saw a great effort exerted by U.S. institutions, trying to accommodate Chinese applicants. Many international admissions offices offered opportunities for applicants to delay the transcript submission due to the closure of schools and universities in China.

In response to the closure of the testing centres for TOFEL, IELTS and GRE/GMAT, many admissions offices provided flexible policies including online interviews and Duolingo test, which allows students to take the English proficiency test at their homes. Those strategies made Chinese applicants and their families feel welcomed, despite the virus chaos they are experiencing in China.

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