Postsecondary sector could be impacted by the stigma of the term “bad actors”: Fairbairn

In a recent opinion piece in Castanet, Thompson Rivers University President Brett Fairbairn discusses the use of the term “bad actors” in international education and argues that it could be a counterproductive phrase for postsecondary institutions. Fairbairn writes that the new federal rules and caps on visas attempt to end the exploitation of international students through operations that do not put student needs first, and laments that drastic measures had to be taken to address these “bad actors.” “It’s regrettable that a term such as ‘bad actors’ has become associated with Canadian international education,” writes Fairbairn. “The stigma it has caused overseas is real and worrisome and might well lead to fewer students wanting to study here.”

Castanet