Pet Home

AUSTRALIA: Review of foreign student decline

The federal government has been forced to respond to growing alarm among universities and colleges at the collapsing quantity of applications from foreign students by setting up a review to investigate ways of countering the ongoing decline.

Nearly 600,000 foreign students had been enrolled in Australian schools, colleges and universities this year, with 1 in three in larger education. They are estimated to contribute US$18 billion a year to the national economy.

Announcing the review, Education Minister Chris Evans and Immigration Minister Chris Bowen mentioned this would give education providers and stakeholders “an crucial opportunity to share their vision of the sector’s future”.

“The review is tasked with enhancing the continued competitiveness of the international education sector, as well as strengthening the integrity of the student visa programme,” Evans mentioned.

“The Australian international education sector has come beneath increasing pressure as a result of the increasing value of the Australian dollar, the ongoing impact of the global financial crisis in some nations and growing competition from the US, New Zealand and Canada for international students,” Evans said.

He didn’t mention yet another factor widely believed to be much more important in the downturn: the government’s selection to tighten the guidelines that let students completing courses in Australia to acquire permanent residency.

But Evans did point out the size and nature of the international education sector had changed significantly over the past decade, with China and India the two largest markets and contributing additional than 40% to total foreign enrolments.

Michael Knight, a former Labor minister inside the New South Wales government who had charge of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, will undertake the review. Knight has been asked to report by mid-2011.

Evans stated the review would look at ways to better manage immigration risk and deter breaches and misuse of the programme, too as consider the suitability of separate visas for various education sectors.

To streamline applications from foreign students, Evans said visa assessment levels would be reduced from next April, such as those for students from China and India. This signifies students will not be essential to present as considerably evidence of their bona fides as is presently the case.

Lobby groups warmly greeted the announcement with the vice-chancellors’ organisation, Universities Australia, saying the review “could not be additional timely coming as the most recent government figures show a clear decline in larger education international student enrolments, right after increasing at 11% a year for the past eight years”.

UA Chair Professor Peter Coaldrake said the downturn in enrolments had substantial implications not just for Australia’s larger education program but also for the nation itself since of the flow-on contribution international students made to domestic employment “as nicely as enhancing our cultural awareness”.

Coaldrake stated the review’s terms of reference were “on the mark” and reflected calls produced to government by Universities Australia itself.

“This review must show that Australia is severe about enhancing its procedures and correcting the negative perception that has arisen. This may send a powerful positive signal to source nations and to potential overseas students,” he said.

 

Leave a Comment

Tags: