THE minister of advanced education is hoping more international students will crack the books in British Columbia over the next 15 years, but there may not be much room in North Vancouver classrooms according to one school trustee.
"We're not anticipating the same level of growth as the province," said North Vancouver school board chairwoman Franci Stratton. "In order to maintain a strong program, we have to also limit the number of students in any school."
Stratton's comments were in response to Minister of Advanced Education Naomi Yamamoto's release last week calling for the province to open its school doors to international students.
"With stats predicting one million job openings in B.C. in the coming decade - but only about 650,000 kids coming through our school system - it will also be international students who'll play a key role in meeting our expected labour needs," stated Yamamoto, the North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA.
Approximately 94,000 international students study in British Columbia each year, including nearly 1,100 on the North Shore.
"You wouldn't want to be too reliant (on international students)," Stratton said, explaining that world economic issues could disrupt the district if it were overly dependent on revenue generated by international students.
International students each pay $14,200 in annual tuition, generating approximately $7 million for the West Vancouver school system and $8 million for North Vancouver schools.
Yamamoto predicted 7.2 million international students will be choosing between schools and countries by 2025. However, other districts in B.C. are better positioned to absorb the travelling scholars, according to Stratton.
"We're at a level where we're comfortable, but I think maybe there are other districts around the province that maybe haven't established as strong a program within their districts," she said.
Premier Christy Clark's recent trade mission, which included stops in China and India, would likely have little effect on bringing students to West Vancouver, according to Maureen Smiley.
"We have no Indian students," said Smiley, West Vancouver's district principal in charge of international students. "The reason is Indian students are primarily a post-secondary market."
However, China and Germany are key markets for the district, according to Smiley, who said many students find it easier to learn English with a Canadian accent.
There are 498 full-time international students speaking 46 languages in West Vancouver schools. The international contingent makes up approximately 10 per cent of the district's student body in accordance with parameters set by the school board.
The international students require extra English classes, but the benefits outweigh the costs, according to Smiley.
"(The program) provides all kinds of services across the district. At one point, in terms of staffing it was around 90 to 100 extra staff people in the district directly hired through international funds," she said.
Besides benefiting schools, Smiley said international students are a boon to the local economy.
"Each of these students has families and many of the families come and spend anywhere from a week to a month," she said. "They have to live here, eat here, buy here."
Each student means another approximately $20,000 for the district's business community, according to Smiley.
Besides local benefits, Smiley said the program helps build an educated work force in British Columbia.
"(International) students who graduate post-secondary are now allowed to stay here for three years and work after graduation, and that helps them to fast-track to a permanent resident status or a landed immigrant status."
