A ministry report summarizing the results of five regional roundtables on international education is now available online at: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/pubs/regionalroundtables.pdf

The BC Jobs Plan and International Education Strategy recognize the importance of international education to the province's education system and economy. The government wants to strengthen the current policy and regulatory frameworks that govern the sector, while at the same time, respecting local initiative and the entrepreneurship of school districts.

The K-12 International Education Regional Roundtables report details the feedback from roundtable participants. Suggestions covered a wide variety of topics, such as marketing, program administration, and homestay guidelines. There was general consensus that any new standards or enhancements must allow for district flexibility and local innovations.

Policy options will be developed using the roundtable results. Another round of consultation with school districts will take place before policy options are finalized. Ultimately, the ministry's two key priorities are increased assurances that educational programs are of high quality and that international education enrolment be increased.

All B.C. school districts and independent schools were invited to participate in the roundtable discussions. British Columbia's K-12 International Education sector serves approximately 13,000 international students. Forty-seven out of 60 school districts and 63 out of 356 independent schools are involved in the International Education sector.

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963