Email
Print
ShareMumbai: Despite the recent happenings concerning Indian students in Australia, the numbers of enrolments to Australian education are rising. In a recently released monthly report by the Australian government, the number of Indian enrolments has gone up from 84,386 in September 2008 to 1,12,898September 2009. At a growth rate of 33.8%, India is second only to China which has 141,001 enrolments.
Victoria Sukhia of Southern Seas Consultants, with 12 years of counselling experience specific to the country said, "On my recent visit to several universities in Australia, I found that our students were happy with their study experiences and were not scared about their safety at all." She explained that what were hyped as racial attacks where mere crimes with motives like theft. "None the less, after the incidents the strong stand taken by the Australian government will assure additional safety measures to all international students," she said.
The big changes
It is known that many seek entry into countries like Canada, UK, US, New Zealand andAustralia on a student visa to gain residency through fraudulent agents. Australia is an easy target for such fraudsters due to its easy visa procedures, low living costs and moreover a wide array of study options. To curb this the visa process has been made stricter. "The Australian High Commission has informed all agents that all students applying for a visa will have to give interviews. Some of them also will be asked to visit the HighCommission in Delhi for the same,"informed Sukhia. The interviews will judge whether students are aware of their course, institute and the destination they are headed to.Students will also be required to show AUD18,000 instead of AUD12,000 per year towards living expenses, to enhance their chances of acquiring a student visa. "Many agents have been known to advise students to apply for short term courses which will put them in the skill list rather than what interests them. Some of these private institutes don't even require students to attend lectures," explained Sukhia. Recently, 150Indian e-visa agents were banned by the Australian government for creating fraudulent documents for students who don't even possess basic qualifications.
Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI), the self-regulatory body of all authorised education agents in India has also stopped all new memberships. "We are looking at developing modules like do's and don'ts for Indian students going there and conducting exhaustive pre-departure briefings," said Gulshan Panthania, president of AAERI. Other changes include constant interaction with the government to voice concerns of the Indian student community, facilitating community interactions for students and being neutral partners to both students and education providers in Australia in case of conflicts.
Australia is also looking at providing world class quality in education through a review in the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act. As per the Act, by December 31 all education providers in Australia will have to re-register with the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). Also they must have a demonstrated capacity to provide education of a satisfactory standard. "Until now, all institutes mentioned their authorised agents on their websites. But now these agents will have to be listed with the government and comply with stricter regulations," said Sukhia.Unlike the US where students are left with no government aid if an institute closes; in Australia the government looks at refunding fees or relocating students to other institutes.The ESOS Act which is expected to be amended by June 2010 will further strengthen this.
Pre departure preparations
"Students are naïve and they don't usually know what's on the other side," said Sukhia urging students to adapt themselves to the culture of the country they're going to. Aggressively protesting on the roads, destroying the peace, indulging in groupism, talking in regional Indian languages, poking fun at the natives, aimlessly strolling late nights in lonely areas, dressing inappropriately, and not observing the rules of public conduct like prohibition of spitting on roads or even social conduct, are some things Indians need to keep in check. "These students are those who haven't received any pre departure training from their agents or even orientation from the institutes of study in Australia," said Sukhia. Students should attend free pre departure sessions held by AEI (Australian Education International) in India. They should also download the Guide to Living and Studying in Australia put up on the studyaustralia.gov.au website.
Safety measures
A look at the AEI website reveals the government initiatives that are being taken to help international students with their problems. Firstly a hotline (1300363079) has been established for queries and concerns of international students. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) will ensure that initiatives are taken to improve student safetythrough a crackdown on crime around metropolitan transport hubs. Heightened community engagement by police will also be maintained.
A national international students strategy is also set to come into force in 2010. It will enhance the pre and post arrival information and engagement with the ethnic Australian community. It will also improve general educational offerings to develop cultural understanding, augment tolerance and language skills, achieve a clearer articulation between international education and migration policies; and monitor quality of education providers. The above strategy and the ESOS Act will be based on student concerns like pre-arrival information, visa status, quality and cost of education, basic life services, social integration in Australia. These concerns emerged at an international student education roundtable held in Australia this year.
AEI has also produced a good practice guide of activities to integrate international students in universities and colleges across Australia. For instance, the University of Adelaide's international student centre conducts the peer mentor programme. It recruits peer mentors among international and local students. This provides leadership, training opportunities and encourages interaction between students. Further it helps new international students become familiar with the University and academic expectations, and importantly to develop social networks in the University and wider Adelaide communities.
