Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 46
46
Acknowledged
Rt Hon Alister Jack MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, also recognised the reliance of...
Conclusion
Rt Hon Alister Jack MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, also recognised the reliance of Scottish universities on international students: Scotland’s education sector should, in the first instance, exist to support Scottish and [rest of the UK] domiciled students and the long-term contribution that they will make to economic growth. The sector still has much to do on widening access, yet is effectively selling places on the international market in order to sustain itself. International participation will always be welcome, however we need to get the balance right. For example, we need to be sure that when budgets are tight, capacity that could be used to address issues such as widening access in order to support ‘levelling up’ is not offered instead to the highest international bidder.111 Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on international student numbers
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the points raised by the Secretary of State regarding the balance of international students and domestic provision, outlining its International Education Strategy and Graduate Route to attract a diversified international student base while noting universities' awareness of funding risks.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
International students bring fresh ideas and new perspectives and in doing so help challenge thinking, making for an enriching learning environment for all students, including those from the UK. For our young people, this cultural exchange helps build life-long friendships, as well as laying the foundation for future networks, and important business, political and diplomatic bridges. International students also help stimulate demand for courses, add to the UK’s impressive research capacity and have the potential to contribute invaluably to the UK skills base—particularly in key subjects where they benefit the UK economy by filling a number of sectoral skills shortages, for example engineering, technology, health and social work. Universities are aware of the possible risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation or from a single nation. Ensuring student recruitment is from a diversified base, in order for growth to remain sustainable in the longer term remains a key strategic priority—our commitment to this is set out clearly in the International Education Strategy. As part of this strategy, which was launched last year and will be updated this year, we also announced the Graduate Route, among several other measures to attract new international students. The UK Government’s International Education Strategy and recent update make clear that the internationalisation of our higher education sector cannot come at any cost – universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risk. We will look to work closely with colleagues in Scotland and the other DA’s to continue to work on this aim.
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