The challenges of COVID-19 to the internationalization of higher education: Neo-liberal paradigm in question

This presentation aims to examine the continuous relevance of neo-liberalism in international higher education, and the implication for East Asian higher education in the aftermath of COVID19. The global pandemic has provoked a backlash against the fast-moving international higher education industry in major destinations for international students. The pending crises facing Western universities are not merely financial issues. They reveal shortcomings inherent in the business model of higher education driven by economic globalization that have been triggered by the coronavirus pandemic to erupt. This presentation discusses the deficiencies of neo-liberal mentalities and rationales and the spill-over effects on the possible changing route of study abroad under the shadow of global pandemic. Coronavirus pandemic has altered many relationships worldwide: economic, geo-political, racial, and cultural. These would be among the new determinants affecting Asian students’ decision to study within the same region. Copyright © 2021 HKERA-APERA International Conference.