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| Australia set to revise intl strategy for education sector: Min |
| Basant Kumar Mohanty/ PTI / Melbourne Aug 20, 2009, 10:24 IST |
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As the education sector is changing fast in Australia with rise in the flow of foreign students, the government of Victoria state is all set to revise its international strategy on education to give more focus on transparency and quality, a senior minister has said.
"The government is going to release international education strategy. The old policy will be refreshed to ensure international students get better information on eduction providers," Jacinta Allan, Minister for Regional and Rural Development and Skills and Workforce Participation, told a group of Indian journalists here.
Her ministry is in-charge of higher and technical education of Victoria state.
The last education strategy on international students was released in 2004.
"There is a change in the scenario. There has been tremendous increase in the flow of international students and many students participate in vocational education. The new strategy will give importance to safety of students and quality of education," David Hanna, Deputy Secretary, International Coordination, said.
He said the strategy will aim at strengthening the regulatory framework and monitor the standard of private education providers in the state.
The step assumes significance as Victoria is the most preferred destination for Indian students. At present, of total 97,000 Indian students in Australia, 47,058 are pursuing education in this state.
Also there is a sizable number of students pursuing education in vocational training colleges here. There are eight universities and 18 technical institutions in government sector in Victoria. Besides, there are about 1300 private education providers of which 250 cater to foreign students.
The state government instituted a "rapid audit" into the functioning of 17 private institutes after the quality of education provided by private institutions came under scrutiny recently.
Hanna said the new strategy will be ready within two months. The federal government of Australia has already introduced an amendment to its education services to bring more transparency in the admission process.
There is also a move to have an ombudsman to look into the complaints of international students, Hanna said.
Education sector is getting more importance here as it is an emerging area for revenue generation for the country.
International education contributed 15 billion Australian dollar to the economy in 2008. While the Chinese constitute 22 per cent of total international students, Indians constitutes 17 per cent of it.
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