July 22, 2022

International Education in Latin America: Stakeholders Suggest Thinking Long-term Investment

S Stakeholders from Latin American education support organisations as well as British universities have stated that investments must be considered in the "long term" for the region. The stakeholders have affirmed that the market may become one of the more stable ones in the world as a result of the political unrest in China and the potential "boom and bust" in India, so it would be wise to invest in attracting students from various Latin American nations.

Speaking on a panel at the 2022 BUILA Conference in Wales, Neville Wylie, deputy principal of internationalisation at the University of Stirling, said, "There are opportunities we didn’t have before, like the Turing Scheme, and we can’t just think about recruitment."

He continued, "We have to think about a portfolio of activities and engagement, and we need to pay back into that market in a way we haven’t in the past. We get relatively small numbers of students [from the region] of Latin America, but there is much more to the institutions on an intellectual level than some other places in the world.

…we have to think about a portfolio of activities and engagement, and we need to pay back into that market in a way we haven’t in the past…

Mr. Neville Wylie was not the only one who made the point of exploring Latin America as a market. Fiona Brown, director of recruitment for international students at the University of Manchester, too, emphasised the student market in Latin America as compelling. "It’s very much about the caliber of students who come to the UK — and there is a range of subjects there is demand for," she told the audience during a panel discussion.

While many were upbeat, there is a group of people who believe that although Latin America may be a great market, the reality is that it is more challenging in terms of recruitment. One such person is Gary Coulter, the international market development manager for North and South America at the University of Bristol.

He told the press that while most universities want diversity, they must also act logically and strategically in the interests of business. He was quoted as saying, "Return on investment is much worse in Latin America than in other parts of the world, especially India and China."

Posted in News and tagged News, Latin America, British Universities, China, India, BUILA Conference, Wales
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