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District nets $7 million from international students

Year-over-year growth shows international students in Richmond public schools are becoming an important source of income
International students
Brazilian and Chinese students are among the most frequent visitors to the Richmond School District, although students from China account for about 80 per cent of all international students. Photo by Richmond School District.

As the Richmond School District’s overall student population declines year over year, there remains a steady rise in the number of international students entering the city’s classrooms.

This year, the district accepted 124 elementary students and 889 secondary students from overseas, for a total of 1,013 students, most of whom come from China but also 21 other countries, according to Shaun Sephton, director of international programs.

With an overall student population of 20,345, international students account for one in 20 kids in the classroom, while paying about $19 million in fees and netting the district $7 million.

Last year, the district reported 955 students. The six per cent growth in the program combined with higher tuition fees this year allowed the district to net an additional $500,000 over last year.

Further growth is anticipated for the 2017-2018 school year, noted Sephton in his report to the Board of Education on April 18.

International students growth
A chart showing overall numbers of international students in the Richmond School District, 2002-2016. RSD image.

Board chair Debbie Tablotney said the program fills a gap in the operating budget, which is funded by the Ministry of Education, in order to pay for other staffing costs. And with declining enrolment, there is space in schools to accommodate more international students.

Tablotney said the district is “slowly growing” the program. Benefits include cross-cultural understanding among students, said Tablotney.

Growth is seen as essential to delivering a more robust international student program.

“A larger enrolment means more teachers, more administrators and more program support,” said Sephton.

Overall, the program has gotten so large and broad in its offerings that it has rebranded as Richmond International Education, with the slogan “Enriching Global Minds.”

Students come to the district for full-time studies and typically stay with homestays. The program also offers month-long classes and summer school.

“These [classes] have experienced their largest growth this past year in terms of dollar value at almost 1.8 million dollars. This is one of the largest programs of its kind in the province,” said Sephton.

The program directly and indirectly employs 11 staff members, 58 full-time teachers, and five school administrators. Meanwhile, an offshore school in Shenzhen, China, employs 17 Canadian teachers.

“The relationship with Shenzhen continues to grow, providing more than 40 students to our long-term program and another 330 students and adults visiting for a one-month short term experience during the school year. This year we also offered onsite teacher and administrator professional programs for 400 participants in three Shenzhen Education Bureaus,” noted Sephton.

This is the ninth straight year the program has grown. In 2008, there were just 325 international students. The more than three-fold increase in students is not a coincidence.

“The general study abroad industry continues to grow in Canada. The overall volume of international students in Canada is again at an all-time high,” said Sephton.

The Province of B.C. has promoted international students as an economic driver.

In B.C., there were 137,446 total international students, accounting for about 30 per cent of all such students in Canada, per Global Affairs Canada.

UBC has more international students than any other B.C. institution. Between 2012 and 2016, international enrolment at the school soared by 58 per cent, jumping to 14,433 from 9,144 students.

According to Statistics Canada, about 18 per cent of all university students in B.C. are non-residents.