The UK government has unveiled a new UK International Education
Strategy, setting out an ambitious plan to grow education exports to forty
billion pounds a year by 2030 and position education as a central pillar of
national economic growth. The strategy forms part of the government’s wider
plan for national renewal, aimed at supporting jobs, investment and long term
global influence.
Education is already one of the UK’s most valuable export sectors,
contributing around thirty two billion pounds annually to the economy. The UK
International Education Strategy seeks to build on this strength by expanding
the global reach of British education and skills in response to rising
international demand.
Under the UK International Education Strategy, education exports
encompass a broad range of activity. This includes UK schools, colleges and
universities delivering British education overseas, international students
studying in the UK, and the sale of UK qualifications, training programmes and
digital learning abroad.
Ministers said the UK is uniquely positioned to meet global demand for
high quality education, with a strong international reputation and deep
academic expertise. The strategy commits to supporting providers by reducing
regulatory barriers and enabling expansion into new and emerging markets.
The UK International Education Strategy's main goal is to stop focusing
on how many international students come to the UK. The new strategy does not
limit the number of students, unlike the one released in 2019. Instead, it
focuses more on sending UK education abroad.
The plan's goal is to help schools make international connections, set
up campuses in other countries, and offer UK education in local markets. This
method is meant to make British qualifications more available around the world,
while also helping universities find new ways to make money and become more
financially stable.
Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of Education, said that the UK
International Education Strategy shows how serious the government is about
using education to boost growth.
She said that UK universities, colleges, and other education providers
can make more money, build stronger global partnerships, and give millions more
people access to a world-class UK education right in their own neighborhoods by
expanding abroad. This will also help the economy grow at home.
Chris Bryant, the Minister of Trade, said that education exports are one
of the UK's biggest success stories. He said that the sector is on track to
reach its goal of forty billion pounds by 2030, thanks to digital learning,
AI-enabled innovation, and the UK International Education Strategy's focus on
skills that will be useful in the future.
Beyond economic growth, the UK International Education Strategy is
intended to reinforce the UK’s global soft power. UK universities count more
than fifty current world leaders among their alumni, underlining the long term
diplomatic and cultural influence of UK education.
The strategy lays out plans to find new markets and partnership
opportunities, such as using UK Ambassadors as Local Education Champions in
other countries. The International Education Champion and education providers
will work with a new Education Sector Action Group to help make it easier for
schools to expand overseas.
Baroness Chapman, the Foreign Office Minister, said that UK schools and
colleges are some of the country's best assets because they drive innovation,
create jobs, and strengthen ties with other countries through long-term
educational relationships.
Professor Malcolm Press, president of Universities UK, welcomed the UK
International Education Strategy, describing it as a clear framework for growth
and partnership.
There are already about 620,000 students from the UK studying abroad at
universities in almost 200 countries and territories, either on campuses or
through distance learning. The plan's goal is to speed up this international
presence.
The UK International
Education Strategy not only calls for more students from other countries to
study in the UK, but it also sets stricter rules for compliance to make sure
that these students are real and that providers are doing their jobs. If
institutions don't follow the rules, they could have to stop hiring people or
lose their licenses.
The plan also makes it
easier for UK students to study, work, and volunteer abroad. There will be a
sixth year of the Turing Scheme, and the UK will join Erasmus+ again in 2027.
The UK International
Education Strategy wants to turn British educational expertise into long-term
economic growth, skilled jobs, and lasting international influence by
supporting global partnerships and overseas expansion.
Also Read :- Education Excellence Magazine for more Information