A plan to attract international students to Christchurch will bring life to the city, Mayor Bob Parker says.

At the launch of the Christchurch Educated project yesterday, Parker said having a lot of creative young people made cities work.

He supported the creation of a central-city meeting place for international students called The Commons, which he said would be a "United Nations" of education.

Parker said international education contributed nearly $200 million to the city before the earthquakes.

Riccarton High School international student director Craig Rosengrave said working together would help all education providers attract students. He said the initiative was much more than a logo, and he was looking forward to seeing The Commons created.

Riccarton High has lost 20 per cent of its international pupils since the quakes.

Fendalton Open-air School principal Paul Sibson said the school had had difficulty convincing parents to bring their children back to the city after the quakes. International pupil numbers at the school have dropped by almost 50 per cent since the quakes.

Canterbury University vice-chancellor Rod Carr said he wanted to work better with high schools, where many international pupils were studying.

Lincoln University vice-chancellor Andrew West said the initiative was a step forward for the region's education sector.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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