Zim students looks West and not East as they flock to USA

ZIMBABWE is one of the African countries that has a large segment of its student population studying in the United States of America, an international education report shows.

According to Open Doors 2011, the annual report on international academic mobility published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, Zimbabwe sent 94 students per one million citizens to study in the US in 2010-2011.

This places Zimbabwe third among African states with medium-large size populations in terms of percentage of population going for higher education in the US.

EducationUSA co-ordinator at the US Embassy in Harare Ms Rebecca Zeigler Mano said the overall number of Zimbabwean students enrolled in US institutions of higher education in 2010-2011 decreased by 2 percent compared to the previous year.

"The decline is attributable to the economic situation a few years back. However, from the growing interest we have seen at our advising centres in Harare, Gweru and Bulawayo, we expect the numbers to stabilise upwards in the coming years.

"This will be especially true as the economic recovery touches on all sectors on the economy," she said.

One thousand one hundred and thirty-five Zimbabwean students went to study in the US in the 2010-11 academic year compared to 1 159 the year before, a 2 percent decrease compared to the previous year where there was a 8,7 percent decrease.

"Despite enduring a difficult period in its economy, Zimbabwe still boasts a strong education system with students from a wide variety of socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds who excel in academics, sport and co-curricular activities at top American colleges and universities," she added.

The Open Doors report also shows that the total number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by 5 percent to 723 277 during the 2010-2011 academic year.

This represents a record high number of international students in the United States. Increased numbers of students from China, particularly at the undergraduate level, largely account for the growth this past year. Chinese student enrolment in the United States rose to a total of nearly 158 000 students, or nearly 22 percent of the total international student population, making China the leading sending country for the second year in a row.

Students from India, the second largest international cohort in the United States, decreased by 1 percent to a total of nearly 104 000.

South Korea is the third leading place of origin, with more than 73 000 students, increasing by 2 percent and making up 10 percent of the total.

The report shows that the top three sending countries combined - China, India and South Korea - comprise nearly half (46 percent) of the total international enrolments in US higher education.

According to US Embassy to Zimbabwe spokesperson Ms Sharon Hudson-Dean, the continuing work of EducationUSA will ensure that more Zimbabwean students will have an opportunity to study in the US.

"The US remains the preferred destination for students across the world who want to study abroad because of the quality and prestige associated with an American degree.