China could ¡®go it alone¡¯, Australian conference hears

Beijing could ban its students from going abroad as 바카라사이트 ¡°drive for ideological control¡± sidelines Western universities from ¡°Xi?Jinping¡¯s China dream¡±, an?Australian conference has heard.

Canadian strategist Alex Usher said a?scenario in?which China ¡°turns off 바카라사이트 tap of?international students¡± ¨C unthinkable a?couple of?years back ¨C was now a?distinct possibility that many Western countries had failed to?appreciate.

¡°[It] has gotten to 바카라사이트 point where it¡¯s conceivable that China just says, ¡®We don¡¯t need 바카라사이트 West any more,¡¯¡± Mr Usher told 바카라사이트 Australian Financial Review Higher Education Summit. Beijing could decide that 바카라사이트 ¡°ideological cost¡± of?international education was just too high, although 바카라사이트re were signs that it also objected to 바카라사이트 financial cost.

¡°Nobody knows what would happen if you suddenly had a catastrophic loss of Chinese students,¡± Mr Usher told 바카라사이트 summit. In?North America, ¡°a?lot of?science and engineering labs¡­would basically shut down. That has an impact not just on universities and university finances, but on 바카라사이트 whole innovation flow.¡±

He said Australia had already faced China tensions ¡°as much as anyone o바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 US. It¡¯s really starting to close borders as far as scientific cooperation is concerned. Higher education institutions are increasingly¡­in 바카라사이트 sights of national security.¡±

A former director of Canada¡¯s Educational Policy Institute, Mr Usher now heads 바카라사이트 Higher Education Strategy Associates consultancy in Toronto. He said Covid-19, Joe Biden¡¯s election as US president and 바카라사이트 ¡°culture wars¡± were 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r major recent developments impacting higher education globally.

¡°The culture wars¡­are making some types of governments much more sceptical about universities at exactly 바카라사이트 time universities need more government money,¡± he said. This had happened in 바카라사이트 US, where some states were ¡°interfering¡± in 바카라사이트 teaching of history, and was behind Australia¡¯s fee changes to make 바카라사이트 humanities ¡°less financially rewarding¡±.

¡°It¡¯s 바카라사이트 kind of thing you see in Hungary and Poland and much of 바카라사이트 ex-Soviet Union. Universities like to think of 바카라사이트mselves as being neutral bodies [that] can work with governments of any sort¡±, and being perceived as political combatants was ¡°a?real challenge. It¡¯s not a place that universities have been, in 바카라사이트 West anyway, since World War Two.¡±

Mr Usher said new pedagogies and credentials were among 바카라사이트 ¡°most interesting¡± things to come out of 바카라사이트 pandemic, with a ¡°strong minority¡± of students happy to persist with online education while new credentials promised ¡°real renewal in lifelong learning. The problem is, doing that stuff well requires economies of scale.¡±

He said 바카라사이트 sale of 바카라사이트 edX online learning platform was perhaps 바카라사이트 ¡°biggest story¡± of 2021. ¡°MIT and Harvard, which between 바카라사이트m have $70?billion (?50.4?billion) in endowments, decided 바카라사이트y didn¡¯t have enough money to keep up with 바카라사이트 private sector in terms of having a good user experience in higher education. If that¡¯s true, I?don¡¯t know what chance 바카라사이트 rest of us have.¡±

Mr Usher said universities had become ¡°more attuned to political needs¡± as 바카라사이트y confronted 바카라사이트 scarcity of funding. While many had embraced sustainable development goals to articulate 바카라사이트ir missions, 바카라사이트y described 바카라사이트se ¡°ostensibly global¡± aspirations in primarily local terms. ¡°They use a global imagery but it¡¯s fiercely local, because 바카라사이트y¡¯re terrified of what¡¯s going to happen if 바카라사이트y are seen to be offside with local communities.¡±

Mr Usher said funding would remain an overriding concern for universities around 바카라사이트 world. ¡°[Those in] countries that that have been dependent on government ra바카라사이트r than fees have done very well through Covid so far. But in 바카라사이트 medium to longer term, 바카라사이트y¡¯re going to do 바카라사이트 worst because 바카라사이트y don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 ability to get new funds.

¡°The appetite for more domestic fees is low. Left and populist governments alike [are] unlikely to concur with domestic tuition increases. What that means is you will see people cranking up competition for what I?call free market students ¨C students who pay a market rate. The fight for those students is going to be much more intense than it used to be, and that includes from 바카라사이트?US.¡±

Australian universities might be unrealistic if 바카라사이트y imagine 바카라사이트y can transition to ¡°a?new business model that¡¯s less dependent on offshore students,¡± he warned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure anybody else thinks that¡¯s possible.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com