WIREDGOV

Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson recently (23 July 2024) delivered a speech at the Embassy Education Conference.

Thank you very much. I am delighted to be here with you today. Thanks so much for the invitation.  

In my first weeks as secretary of state in this new government I have been resetting relationships across the length and breadth of education.  

I want to refresh old partnerships and grow new ones, not just at home but around the world too.  

By joining forces in education, we can build new bridges between our nations. 

And I want to set the record straight on international students. I know there’s been some mixed messaging from governments in the past, from our predecessors most of all.  

And for too long international students have been treated as political footballs, not valued guests.  

Their fees welcomed, but their presence resented.  

Exploited for cheap headlines, not cherished for all they bring to our communities. 

This government will take a different approach and we will speak clearly.  

Be in no doubt: international students are welcome in the UK. 

This new government values their contribution – to our universities, to our communities, to our country.  

I want Britain to welcome those who want to come to these shores to study, and meet the requirements to do so.  

Now this is part of a wider sea change here in the UK. 

Under this new government, education is once again at the forefront of national life. 

Under this new government, universities are a public good, not a political battleground. 

Under this new government, opportunity is for everyone. 

And our international partnerships are central to this drive to spread opportunity far and wide. 

The more we work together, the more progress we will see in the world – partners in the push for better. 

Closed systems that only look inward quickly run out of ideas. Creativity crumbles, innovation dies, the same thoughts spin round and round and collapse in on themselves.   

But through our international partners, we can reach out across the world and bring back a freshness of thought that breathes new life into our society.   

That includes our universities, and it includes international students.  

How could it not?  

These people are brave. They move to a new culture, far away from their homes and their families.  

They take a leap of faith, hoping to develop new skills and chase new horizons. And I am enormously proud that so many want to take that leap here in the UK.  

And we will do everything we can to help them succeed.  

That’s why we offer the opportunity to remain in the UK on a graduate visa for 2 years after their studies end – or 3 for PhDs – to work, to live, and to contribute.  

While this government is committed to managing migration carefully, international students will always be welcome in this country. 

The UK wouldn’t be the same without them. 

Arts, music, culture, sport, food, language, humour – international students drive dynamism on so many levels. 

And of course, their contribution to the British economy is substantial. Each international student adds about £100,000 to our national prosperity.  

This impact is not just a national statistic. It’s felt in towns and cities right across country.  

I’ve seen it in Sunderland, where I have the privilege to serve as a member of parliament. The city is home to almost 5,000 international students.  

Many come from China, flying across the world to study at the University of Sunderland. I welcome their presence and I value their contribution. 

And students from all nations add to the city’s buzz.  

More footfall on our highstreets. 

More laughter in our pubs. 

More conversation in our cafes.  

International students contribute so much to my home city, so much to our country.  And they get so much in return. The UK is a fantastic place to come and study. 

Every student who steps off the plane in Manchester or arrives on the Eurostar in London is a vote of confidence in our universities. 

Students come because they know they will receive a world class education. They come because they know it sets them up for success. 

Many go on to positions of power. Above the desks of leaders around the world sit certificates from British universities. 

They, and hopefully many of you, will know the joy of living abroad, the excitement of discovering a new culture, a new perspective, perhaps even a new weather system … 

While students may not come to the UK for our weather system, they do come for our rich and varied culture. 

They know this is a country that sparks genius, that has birthed innovation to the rest of the world. 

What better place to study science than the land of Charles Darwin, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing? 

What better place to study English than the land of William Shakespeare, Jane Austin, Zadie Smith?  

And what better place to study music than the land of John Lennon, Stormzy, Adele? 

Students benefit from coming to the UK, and we benefit from them being here.  

But I don’t see this as a hard-nosed transactional relationship. It’s not just about GDP, balance sheets or export receipts. 

No. My passion is for an open, global Britain – one that welcomes new ideas.  

One that looks outward in optimism, not inward in exclusion. 

In my university days I made some wonderful friends who came from around the world.  

They broadened my horizons, challenged my views, and pushed me to be better.  

Students come and build bonds with their classmates – and friendships between students become friendships between countries. 

That’s what education is all about. 

A force for good in people’s lives, a force for good in our world. 

A generation of young people who have studied abroad and cultivated friendships with people from different cultures – those ties make the world a safer, more vibrant place.  

This new government is mission-led. And I am leading on the mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. 

I am determined to make Britain the international home of opportunity. 

So I want genuine partnerships with countries across the world in higher education and beyond. 

We already have deep education partnerships with countless countries around the globe, and I want to build more.  

From our closest neighbours, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, to major regional powers, India, Nigeria, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, important allies, the US and Australia, to world leading systems like Singapore and Japan, and many others. 

Whether that’s through British international schools abroad, or cross-border collaboration on skills training. 

School trips and scholarships, exchange programmes and language learning, policy conversations that span the early years to learners with special educational needs. 

And I want our universities to work with their international partners to deliver courses across borders.  

Education must be at the forefront of tackling the major global challenges of our time. 

Artificial intelligence, climate change, poverty, misinformation, polarisation, war and instability.  

Education puts us on the path to freedom.  

Intellectual freedom. Economic freedom. Social freedom. Cultural freedom.  

Through education, we can enlarge and expand those freedoms, we can show that government is a power not just for administration but for transformation. 

The answer is partnership. And the answer is education. 

As I close, I want to extend an invitation to all your education ministers to attend the education world forum here in London next year from the 18th to the 21st of May.  

You can expect a rich exchange of ideas, visits to schools, colleges and universities, and enlightening keynote speakers. 

This is a time of change here in Britain. A new age of hope. A new era of optimism for our country.  

A place where once again education and opportunity are the foundations of a better society.  

A place where our universities are nurseries of global friendships, as well as places of economic growth.  

A place where new ideas are prized.  

I want to work with all of you to deliver opportunity for all – not just here at home, but across the world too. 

Thank you.