Australia takes steps to ensure quality education in universities

The Australian government is getting tougher with private education providers who recruit international students through unscrupulous agents making it mandatory for them to provide the list of agents. This was one of the key aspects included in the changes proposed to the education services for overseas students act, 2000 (ESOA). The amendment bill was introduced by minister for education Julia Gillard in Parliament on Wednesday.

The changes will require the education provides to list the names of education agents, who represent them and promote their education services, and comply with any matter prescribed in the regulations. The changes will also ensure that the principal purpose of educational institutions is to provide education, and the provider demonstrates the capacity to give education of a satisfactory standard.

The amendments call for re-registration by December 31, 2010 of all institutions now registered on the commonwealth register of institutions and courses for overseas students (CRICOS) conditions imposed on the education provides will be recognized by the commonwealth.

Under the scanner: the amendments are the first in a series of measures the government is taking to ensure that Australia continues to offer world-class, quality international education in the changing environment. These measures assume significance with the quality of education coming under the scanner after the international media, particularly the Indian media, highlighted the issue in the wake of attacks on Indian students here.

Many students and teachers from popular universities here view the courses, mostly vocational diplomas, offered by private colleges as substandard, which do not meet the quality prescribed by the Australian government and are being used as a dashboard to get into the country. Interestingly, the majority of students coming under attack are enrolled in such institutions here and mostly in Victoria.

Earlier, skills and workforce participation Minister of Victoria Jacinta Allan told a visiting Indian media delegation that Victoria initiated a repid audit of education and training providers suspected of breaching their legal obligations. “ The audit is on and expected to be completed soon,”.

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No drop in Indian visa applications for Australia

New Delhi: Even as the Australian government has sent three delegations to India in a month to mend its reputation as a “safe education destination” after the spate of attacks on Indian students down under since may, there has been no decline in the number of visa applicants from India. In fact, June saw an increase of eight percent over May in visa applications from India, minister for immigration and citizenship Chris Evans told the Hindu here on Tuesday.

Concern

Still, according to Mr. Evans, the Australian government was very concerned at the damage done to the country’s reputation as an education provider; more so because India is regarded as a major long-term source of migration of skilled labour. “The reporting in India has been very damaging to Australia”. As a case in point, he cited the latest reports of two Indian students sustaining minor injuries in a scuffle in Wollongong in Sydney. Investigations revealed that they were Saudis, he said.

Asserting that the attacks on Indians were not racist,Mr.evans said the incidents were a manifestation of various social issues relating to housing and transport, be sides the student’s inability to focus on education because they had to pay back hung loans.

“Perverse incentives”

Conceding that there are loopholes in the Australian immigration system which allows education agents to market course in cooking and hair-dressing as a shortcut to permanent residency {PR}, the minister said there were “perverse incentives”. Australia has a system of awarding points to particular job classifications for migration purposes. “Currently, the scheme awards some occupations like cooking and hair-dressing far too higher than a bachelor of science”.

The government, he said had announced a review of this system, which sometimes resulted in good students opting for the cheaper, shorter, lower skill course because they got PR quicker.

Verification of skills

As part of the process of tightening the immigration laws, the government would introduce a job readiness test from the next year to verify if applicants have the skills they claim. This, Mr. Evans said, would hopefully have a trick-le-down effect on education providers because if their students failed to clear this test, it would be a reflection on the institutions training them. “This should help clean up that segment of education providers who are selling a certificate but not giving good education”.

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Points to consider before studying abroad

• Tuition fee in Ireland, Newzealand, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Malaysia and Singapore is about 50 percent cheaper than in the US, big cities in UK and Australia.

• Cost of living is 30 percent cheaper than in the US, UK and Australia.

• Works as an easy transit to reach the US, for those who still prefer to work there.

• Students are permitted to work for two years after their studies.

• Easy visa processing and permanent residence status.

• Many universities in Germany and Sweden offer free education.

• Masters and diploma in these countries are for one year while in US they are for two years.

• Chances of visa rejection are 75 percent less compared to US and UK.

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