Sydney - Australia announced a sweeping review of its A$15.5 billion (S$18.6 billion) international education industry yesterday, as India's Foreign Minister met students rattled by a series of attacks and study scams.
Education Minister Julia Gillard said former Liberal MP and diplomat Bruce Baird would head the review, which is aimed at shoring up the nation's third-biggest export industry.
It took a hit following outcry over violence against international students, particularly Indians. The problem has been exacerbated by claims of suspect education providers exploiting their clients, Australian newspaper the Age reported yesterday.
Ms Gillard said: 'Mr Baird will review the Education Services for Overseas Students Act and report back to the government with changes designed to ensure Australia continues to offer world-class quality international education in this challenging and changing environment.'
Mr Baird told the AAP newswire: 'We'll be looking at the general welfare of students who come to our shores, as well as issues such as 'Have we got dodgy operators?'' He added that he will also examine perceptions of racism plaguing Australia.
He will provide an interim report by November.
The review comes as universities face a financial crisis triggered by the faltering market for international students, the loss of millions of dollars in investment income and the axing of a full-fee programme for domestic students worth more than A$116 million, The Australian newspaper said.
The crisis has already led to job losses at a number of campuses, including the University of Melbourne which two weeks ago announced that 220 places would go as it sought to fill a A$30 million black hole, The Australian reported.
More than 20 per cent of the higher education sector's income is derived from overseas students. The big universities such as Sydney, New South Wales, Melbourne, Monash and Macquarie each have more than 10,000 international students on campus, paying on average between A$20,000 and A$30,000 a year.
Most universities expect some loss of revenue next year from the Indian student debacle and its ripple effect throughout the Asian region.
Canberra has given assurances that India's 95,000 students in Australia are safe, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith both meeting Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna last week. A series of attacks on Indian students in Sydney and Melbourne boiled over into street protests last month, amid accusations from students that police were not doing enough to halt the violence.
AFP
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
No comments:
Post a Comment