Recommendations

The important of Asia to the New Zealand economy cannot be overstated and the new international economic and political realities have persuaded many New Zealanders to look towards building a closer relationships with the countries of Asia, especially with the East and Southeast Asian countries. Foreign students, mainly from Asia, are estimated to spend about $500 million a year in New Zealand (source: NZEIL) and this income is greatly needed by many schools and local communities. However, there have been some concerns about understanding and meeting the needs of the Asian students, both fee-paying and rates-paying students. This research is an important step towards addressing these concerns. It discovered several areas of concerns, provided a broad discussion of these concerns, and highlighted some main recommendations.

One of the most difficult problems experienced by a foreign student initially in the host country is coping with loneliness. To alleviate this problem requires good social support from both fellow and host nationals to provide the following:

• Orientation booklet with information about:
  • Support available from community groups.
  • Support available from student groups.
  • Support available from school.
  • Support available from the City Council and other aid agencies.
  • Getting the basic essentials products and services.
  • Getting Asian products and services.
  • Recreational, entertainment and sports facilities available.
  • Differences in the cultures that could create difficulties.
• Network of friends, especially youths of the same age group.

One of the major barriers to smooth acculturation for many Asian students is the language barrier. Since students experience different levels of difficulty, it is recommended that:

• All schools should conduct an appropriate screening and testing procedure to identify:
  • Students who are fluent enough in English to proceed with normal courses.
  • Students who need some help in English but can take on a reduced workload.
  • Students who need special attention in English.
• Although the current ESOL programmes are be able to provide the essential help, a more comprehensive programme may be useful for many students.
• For the better students in the second category, they should take ESOL and one or two courses that require less proficiency in English, and perhaps audit one or two other courses to provide them with more opportunity to improve their English.
• For students with slightly more severe English problems, in addition to taking the ESOL, it may be more beneficial for them to enroll in some courses that are slightly below their age or ability levels. However, it may be advisable to discuss this approach with their parents first to gain their support.
• Students in the last category may need to enroll in profession language schools before being enrolled in the normal high schools. Alternatively, they should receive specialize assistance in addition to reducing their other workload.

One common problem experienced by many foreign students, particularly those with only limited proficiency in English, concerns the guardian and home-stay programmes. To improve the effectiveness of the programmes, it is recommended that:

• The roles of both the guardian and home-stay have to clearly defined and discussed with the students.
• Preferably at least one of the two parties should be familiar with the student's culture, and if the student's English proficiency is low, at least one of the two parties should also be able to speak the student's own language.
• Guardians should communicate with the students on regular basis and the school should institute some procedures to ensure that they do.

One recommendation suggested by many students, teachers and stakeholders is the appointment of a youth coordinator with the following responsibilities:

• Act as the liaison officer between the students, schools, city council and Asian community groups.
• Act as the liaison officer between the students and the school counsellors.
• Act as the liaison officer between students from various schools.
• To provide necessary assistance to the students.
• To promote awareness of Asian cultures in schools.
• To encourage students to adopt the best of both cultures.

Most Asian students are not as ardent about sports as the Kiwi students and are not keen on nor know how to play cricket or rugby. However, many do like to play other games such as Basketball, Badminton, Tennis, Table Tennis and Soccer. Unfortunately, many of these facilities are not readily available to them. Therefore, it is recommended that:

• Schools make these facilities available to students on selected times of the week.
• Coaches should teach students a wide variety of sports at the introductory level.

Although most of the students find their stay in Christchurch to be pleasant and that the Garden City is a beautiful place to retire in, they unanimously feel that it is rather boring for the youth and suggest the following:

• Improve the public transport system.
• Provide nightlife that is suitable for teenagers.
• Encourage shopping malls and food stalls to operate later into the night.
• Develop a theme park or one-stop entertainment centre.
• Organise more international fairs and cultural events.

The various community groups in Christchurch and providers of educational, social, health and recreational services should work together to provide a comprehensive and effective programme to meet the needs of the Asian Secondary School students. To facilitate this process, it is recommended that a working party be established to review the issues and concerns raised in this research. The working party could comprise one Board member from each of the three community wards, selected representatives of the high schools, Asian communities and staff from the community wards.