According to The Australian and news.com.au, a severe fall in applications from Indian students for training diplomas and certificates would lead to widespread closures in the vocational sector of the type seen in Sydney and Melbourne over the past fortnight, The Australian reports.
In addition, The Brisbane Times reports that one of India's most senior ministers will meet overseas students over the issue of violent attacks and corrupt education organisations during his next Australian visit.
Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, will also meet leading state and federal politicians and police during his visit to Melbourne and Sydney, the news.com.au website reports.
IDP chief executive Tony Pollock yesterday conceded that a "head-count" survey conducted late last month had revealed an 80 per cent decline in visits from prospective students to the organisation's Indian offices.
The Indian market is the sector's biggest growth area but is under threat amid the fall-out from a spate of assaults on Indian students and revelations that students are being exploited by unscrupulous private colleges and fraudulent agents.
At the same time, tightened immigration rules threaten to undermine Indian demand for the permanent residency-driven vocational sector.
Senior higher education administrators have been spooked by news of last month's collapse in demand , which was conveyed to them by IDP in a briefing on the export education industry's health.
The International Education Association of Australia, which represents the international student business arms of universities, cautioned that it was too early to be drawing conclusions on Indian demand.
But Melbourne University vice-chancellor Glyn Davis said the sector was worried. He said that while Melbourne had the nation's highest proportion of students on one campus, Indian students made up only a relatively small proportion.
Education Minister Julia Gillard yesterday acknowledged that some educational institutions were providing "sub-standard" service to foreign students.
Gillard said the government was working to rub out poor practices that had come to the fore of debate about whether Australia was meeting its obligations to international students.
She will visit India later this year to discuss the issue, as will Trade Minister Simon Crean and possibly Kevin Rudd.
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by Russell on 2009-07-31 00:00:00
Vaman, I'll certainly agree that Australian authorities have been grossly negligent (1)in overseeing education providers,too many have not been legitimate, that is a national disgrace and overseas students have a right to be angry. (2) in protecting students from attack,this is due to the increasing level of violence in our cities. It not easy to ferret out racist or opportunist thugs in any democratic society,my dispute is with the inaccurate hypocritical "beat up" in some Indian press reports.
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by Russell on 2009-07-30 00:00:00
You hypocrites,many of the education cons are run by Indians who exploit their fellow Indians,and have brought corrupt practices to Oz, not Australian "racists". How many Indians have been killed in Australia,compared to the murderous inter- ethnic relations in India and people suffering under the caste system. An Australian family was burnt alive by a bigoted racist Hindu mob some years ago,our press did not erupt in an anti-Indian tirade. The "Four Corners" reporter who was reported in India as a victim of a "racist" attack was in fact beaten up by another Indian. People in glass houses! We're not in panic, believe me,Indians are racists too.
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