WELLINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government has released a long-term strategic recovery plan, backed by 51.6 million NZ dollars (34.4 million U.S. dollars) investment from the COVID-19 recovery and response fund to help stabilize New Zealand's international education sector.
"The government is acutely aware of the challenges the sector is currently facing," Education Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement on Monday.
"We are sensitive to the impact the unexpected loss of revenue will have had on international education providers and the investment announced today will help cushion the blow," Hipkins said.
The three parts of the recovery plan will run concurrently and include stabilizing the international education sector, strengthening the system by ensuring the regulatory settings, policies and practices to support the recovery and rebuild, and accelerating the transformation of the sector.
"Ultimately, we want an international education system that's mutually good for students, providers, and benefits New Zealand economically and socially," he said.
"While the pandemic is still raging overseas, our borders are our first line of defense against COVID-19. Given the current global situation, I would expect providers to plan for no international students for the rest of the year," the minister said, adding the government will allow international students to return when it's safe to do so. Enditem
