Oz education industry in a tizzy after attacks

The recent attacks on Indian students in Melbourne could severely hit Australia’s lucrative education industry, agents in India who help arrange student placements warn.
Bubbly Johar, who runs Johar’s Education Centre, an education consultancy in New Delhi, said many parents of students considering education in Australia had contacted him because they are worried about safety.

“These attacks will definitely have an impact on the market because parents are calling me up and they are very concerned,” said Johar. “The media coverage here is encouraging parents to rethink whether they should send their children to Australia for studies. We can’t assure them that they will be safe - it’s a very precarious situation for us,” Johar added.

Arun Bhutani from AB Educational Avenues agency is bracing for a slump in demand.
Education is Australia’s third-largest export earner behind coal and iron ore. The number of Indians studying there has more than doubled since 2006 to 93,000. It is estimated this group contributed about two billion dollars to the economy last financial year.

A team of Victorian police and fire brigade officers will arrive in India today to brief students bound for Australia on staying safe.