International students: an aid to an aging problem

The province is facing economic problems, in part because of its aging population

Memorial University is an attractive option due to its low tuition cost. Unfortunately, the issue is retaining them after graduation. Cameron Killfoy/Kicker

Kicker Cameron Kilfoy

The cultural diversity of the Memorial University’s student body is obvious the moment you step on campus.

Its low tuition rates are a big draw for international students, which means more money being brought into the province’s economy while those students are living here.

But many international students don’t stay after they finish their education, often choosing to either return home or pursue opportunities in other provinces.

Carolynn O’Keefe, an international recruitment officer at Memorial, travels the globe trying to get people to come to Newfoundland for higher education.

Carolyn O'Keefe is the recruitment officer for Memorial University. She travels the globe for most of the year trying to recruit people to come to province for education. Submitted Photo.

“Coming to Canada is a desire for most international students in terms of getting an international education,” said O’Keefe. “You will find a lot of students typically see Canada as one of their top three destinations when they are choosing to come study.”

In 2018, Memorial’s total number of international students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degrees was 3,067, according to Memorial.

O’Keefe says numbers become higher each year.

“We see a large volume of applications from Bangladesh, Nigeria, from China and Malaysia and there is just a variety from around the world,” said O’Keefe.

“The benefit of Canada is that we are offering high-quality education here at MUN, we have the most affordable tuition in Canada - which is a huge benefit for people who want to see their money go further - (and) students can also experience the multicultural society when they study in Newfoundland.”

The graph above shows the people who enrolled and graduated from Memorial University. This graph does not represent the number of students who stayed after graduation. Source: MUN fact book online.

O’Keefe says the school encourages students to stay within the province but its main goal is to provide an education.

“Our first goal is to get them here at the university,” said O’Keefe. “From a provincial level – yes - there is a focus on immigration and getting groups to the province to repopulate certain areas.

“But Memorial’s goal is to get them educated.”

According to O’Keefe, most international students at Memorial do choose to stay here after finishing their education. Despite this trend, our population is still aging.

“For the most part, students do want to stay here in Newfoundland,” said O’Keefe “They’ve been here for four or five years, they made friends and connections, they feel it's their second home.

“I think Memorial is getting them ready for the workforce, but it is their choice to stay and if the opportunities were here, I believe they would choose to say.”

This is a choice Panashe Chichaya will make once he’s finished his degree.

Panashe Chichaya says moving to Canada can be beneficial for any international student. He adds the opportunities here are much better then in his hometown. Cameron Kilfoy/Kicker.

Chichaya, a 23-year-old male originally from Zimbabwe, travelled to British Columbia in 2017 to study engineering science. He attended Fraser International College at Simon Fraser University for one year.

Before he boarded the plane, his father gave him $500 U.S. and said that should get him through the year. Once Chichaya landed in Vancouver he bought food, bedclothes and hailed a cab. He quickly learned that things were more expensive here than in his hometown and decided to get a job.

Getting a job was challenging at first, he says, because he had no experience. He got his first job at a fast-food place and shortly after got a job as a retail salesman.

These minimum-wage jobs did the trick for a while. But with his schooling and living expenses it wasn’t enough.

After discovering the lower tuition rates that Memorial offers, Chichaya spoke with his parents and said attending university in Newfoundland would be cheaper for him and he would still get the education he needed.

Chichaya is currently doing his first year with the goal to complete a degree in behavioural neuroscience.

He says his journey was long but the road to Canada was worth it.

Panashe Chichaya is originally from Zimbabwe. He is currently completing a degree in behavioural neuroscience. Cameron Kilfoy/Kicker.

“I came for the better opportunities,” said Chichaya. “There is better education set up here and with things not being any easier back home with the quality of education and living conditions it is better to study in Canada.

“You get an international degree that is recognized everywhere, and the jobs are here.”

Chichaya is the only member of his family to leave Zimbabwe. He says education has always been important within his family and they were very supportive in his decision to leave.

“I wanted to apply on an international level, and I was concerned about them not being able to support me financially, but they were just telling me to go for it,” said Chichaya.

Originally coming here for educational purposes strictly, Chichaya soon fell in love with the landscape and history of the province. He enjoys making his own art on the side, such as painting with acrylics. He says being here has helped him embrace that side of him more.

“I paint a lot - it is something that interests me - and coming to Newfoundland, I see how involved people are in the arts, with the different events and festivals,” said Chichaya. “It just shows the diversity and culture the province has and that intrigues me.”

International students make up a large portion of the Memorial University student body. The campus works to prepare them to work within the province and abroad. Cameron Kilfoy/Kicker

He has heard of the issues our province is now facing with our aging population.

Chichaya has no plans to return to Zimbabwe after completing his education. He plans to stay within Canada but isn’t sure if Newfoundland will have the opportunities he hopes to pursue.

“I definitely plan to stay in Canada because the opportunities here are better than back home,” said Chichaya. “I would prefer to move from Newfoundland myself unless a really big opening presented itself. Then I would stay.”

He believes international students could be a solution to our aging population.

“I believe the only reason they’re not staying is due to lack of opportunities,” said Chichaya. “The main selling point of these recruitment officers when they come to places such as Africa is the outmigration issue growing in Canada, and they are just trying to get them within their education system. Once they’re here, they should want to stay due to our living conditions at home but its certain opportunities they lack that draw them back home.”

Chichaya says if you put all factors aside, such as jobs and paperwork, he would stay with no questions asked.