Delta Secondary students Amir Madani and Alex Sy are having the time of their lives studying in Canada, glad they chose to live and attend school in Delta.
Both are part of the school district’s International Student Program, which was burgeoning thanks in part to consistently positive reviews overseas, but took a massive hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program is making a strong comeback with more than 800 international students signed-up for 2022/23 school year including around 600 full-time equivalents.
Having come to Delta this February, Madani from Iran is studying theatre, a subject not available for boys in his country. He says having to go through the lengthy process to come to Delta, including having to go to Turkey to get his paperwork because there is no Canadian embassy in his country, was well worth it.
“It was very hard in the beginning because I came in late and everybody knew each other. So, yes, it was hard at first. The teachers and the other students have been very friendly and very nice to me. Things are going really well for me,” the Grade 12 student told the Optimist.
Also in Grade 12 and in her second year in Delta, Sy, who is from the Philippines, said the district was her first choice as it has the most as far as academic opportunities. Her personal relationships have made it all the better.
“It’s been incredible, I absolutely love it here. I love the people the most and I think that’s what makes the experience. I’ve made so many good friends and so many meaningful relationships with my teachers. They guided me with the new curriculum, with all of my learning goals. My mentors and coordinators have supported me so much. It’s a completely new world with new friends who made me feel completely at home here,” she said.
During the pandemic, the Delta program in September 2020 fell to a low of 350 students, including about 250 full-time equivalents. The all-time high prior to that had been approximately 800 full-time equivalents.
The program also proved to be an important revenue generator for the school district with the biggest grossing year prior to the pandemic generating almost $12 million, with a net contribution to the budget totaling over $7 million. In 2020/21, that revenue dropped by half, but the following school year started to see a significant bounce-back.
The district could only promote itself via Zoom at education fairs during the pandemic but has been able to once again travel to events in-person, something much more useful when it comes to connecting with students and parents.
Program director Karen Symonds said the key to the program’s comeback has been the fact the Delta School District had years earlier placed a greater emphasis on getting students from a variety of nations, rather than relying on attracting students from just a few.
Back in 2017/18, the top market was China, followed by South Korea, Germany, Japan and Spain.
She noted the countries hardest hit during the pandemic, impacting students’ ability to travel, were China and Vietnam.
This school year sees Germany as the top source country, followed by Brazil, Italy, China and Spain.
Symonds said the district continues to promote itself in other countries with Iran seen as a growing market, as well as Thailand. Vietnam is starting to open up again, presenting another opportunity to get more students from that country. There is also growing interest in other nations such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
She said other countries being eyed include Mexico, while significant numbers are starting to come from France.
“It’s about that balance and we’re seeing it’s less about huge numbers from one country,” said Symonds.
She noted families are attracted to Delta as a community. It’s close enough to Vancouver but not part of a big city, has a low crime rate, as well as having high COVID-19 vaccination rates.
“From a program standpoint, our high graduation rates are a draw, certainly from areas where academics are seen as very important. And from a program standpoint, a lot of our education consultants, who send students to Delta, are really looking for programs that run their own homestay and custodial programs. They like the fact that we are providing 24-hour care through our program for students, rather than having a private business run the homestay,” said Symonds.
Finding enough homestays has been a challenge, however.
“We’re really excited to be able to do things in a way to support kids in the way that we have in the past, with being able to have our orientations in-person, doing the field trips with the students, having our orientations for the parents who are here living with their children. It’s exciting for us and rejuvenating for our staff to be able to do more normal things again,” she added.
