The 2024 Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) wrapped up on Friday afternoon in Melbourne, after bringing together over 1900 delegates to discuss The human element of the international education sector.
At AIEC there is never enough time to connect with everyone you want to connect with or go to every session that you are interested in, and this year was no different.
There were two parallel vibes at AIEC 2024. The first was a joyful vibe; the joy of reconnecting with colleagues from the sector, some that we’ve known for years or even decades, who we admire and respect; and the joy of hearing from speakers who motivate and inspire. These connections, indeed, The human element, remind us about our passion for the sector and why we do what we do.
The second vibe was more sombre and had a layer of incredulity. How could the Government be wilfully ruining the sector? What about our jobs? What’s going to happen in 2025 with caps?
These were the harder conversations to have.
But during these conversations, the opening remarks of IDP’s Chief Executive Officer, Tennealle O’Shannessy, resonated. O’Shannessy said “A lot might still feel uncertain, but one thing I am sure of: we will take on this challenge, together. United by our shared belief that international education makes the world a kinder, more tolerant and safer place”.
There was some early good news in the opening plenary, with The Koala News Founder, Dirk Mulder, receiving the 2024 International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) Excellence Award for Professional Commentary. You can read more about Dirk’s award and the other well-deserving winners here.
(Dirk Mulder, Founder, The Koala News and Tracy Harris, regular contributor to The Koala News, and Principal, Tracy Harris Solutions)
Some may have had high expectations from Minister for Education, Jason Clare’s keynote speech, but he was to disappoint them (TKN 241024).
The session I had the privilege to chair was Policy headwinds – a 360-degree analysis of issues facing Australia, UK and Canada and a summary of this session will appear in a future article. In advance of this, the final question was, “can The Koala cover more good news about international students?”, the answer is a resounding “yes”. We are always looking for this kind of content, so if you have a good news story to share, connect with me or Dirk on LinkedIn, or contact us at The Koala.
One of the highlights of the final day was Abbas Nazari, who spoke about his journey from Afghanistan to New Zealand, as a refugee aboard the Tampa. Some in the audience were too young to remember this shameful period in Australia’s history. It was wonderful to see Abbas thriving in New Zealand.
Professor Ren Yi closed the conference as the new President for IEAA, announcing the election results.
And that’s a wrap for 2024. The Koala has some follow up articles still to write in the coming days/weeks, so keep an eye out for them.
The 2025 AIEC will be in my hometown of Canberra, from 14-17 October. I love Canberra, it’s still home even when I’m not there, and if you want to know what to see or do while you’re there, contact me.
There is no more appropriate theme for next year’s conference: Navigating change. Put it in your diaries now.
