Sally Furniss
Well-known member
New Zealand's number of confirmed cases of H1N1 flu has risen to 23, while 19 students and teachers from Gisborne Boys High are still waiting for their test results.
Other schools are hurting financially as overseas students cancel visits to New Zealand because of worries about the flu outbreak.
International students have been providing a financial boost for some New Zealand schools like Avondale College for many years and they have noticed a big drop.
"It would be in the hundreds of thousands, hundred of thousands. The education market is millions of dollars of turnover for many schools," says Brent Lewis, Avondale College's Principal.
The college has had several short-stay Japanese school groups cancel while another Auckland school, Rangitoto College, was supposed to host 120 Japanese students from Wednesday.
Those students and another group due next week, say they are not coming after Japan's education ministry added New Zealand to a H1N1 flu warning notice.
That will cost the school about $30,000 in lost revenue.
Advertisement
"It's a loss of income that we could have spent very nicely on our local students," says Rangitoto College Principal David Hodge.
Students from Rangitoto College were New Zealand's first confirmed H1N1 flu victims and received considerable international media attention as some of the first confirmed cases outside of Mexico.
The group that oversees our international student industry says it is now working hard to convince its agents that New Zealand is a safe destination.
For Kiwi students though, travelling overseas for field trips is still an option.
Several schools confirmed they would continue to operate trips but say they are going to stay in touch with the Ministry of Education, in case the threat of H1N1 flu worsens overseas.
And schools believe that international students will return to New Zealand once they realise the flu risk is relatively low.
http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/flu-fears-hurt-schools-revenues-2778491
Other schools are hurting financially as overseas students cancel visits to New Zealand because of worries about the flu outbreak.
International students have been providing a financial boost for some New Zealand schools like Avondale College for many years and they have noticed a big drop.
"It would be in the hundreds of thousands, hundred of thousands. The education market is millions of dollars of turnover for many schools," says Brent Lewis, Avondale College's Principal.
The college has had several short-stay Japanese school groups cancel while another Auckland school, Rangitoto College, was supposed to host 120 Japanese students from Wednesday.
Those students and another group due next week, say they are not coming after Japan's education ministry added New Zealand to a H1N1 flu warning notice.
That will cost the school about $30,000 in lost revenue.
Advertisement
"It's a loss of income that we could have spent very nicely on our local students," says Rangitoto College Principal David Hodge.
Students from Rangitoto College were New Zealand's first confirmed H1N1 flu victims and received considerable international media attention as some of the first confirmed cases outside of Mexico.
The group that oversees our international student industry says it is now working hard to convince its agents that New Zealand is a safe destination.
For Kiwi students though, travelling overseas for field trips is still an option.
Several schools confirmed they would continue to operate trips but say they are going to stay in touch with the Ministry of Education, in case the threat of H1N1 flu worsens overseas.
And schools believe that international students will return to New Zealand once they realise the flu risk is relatively low.
http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/flu-fears-hurt-schools-revenues-2778491