30 pc rise likely in foreign students in Aus till 2020: report

Australia's education sector, facing a slow down in the number of foreign student enrolments due to high Australian dollar, will witness a 30 per cent growth till 2020, according to a report.
But to sustain this figure there is an urgent need to improve infrastructure and marketing campaigns, the International Education Advisory Council said in a report released today by Tertiary Education Minister Chris Bowen in Canberra.
Listing out 35 recommendations, the report said, "the sector has been through a well-documented period of change and uncertainty, resulting in a decline in foreign student numbers, but more students are on their way".

The number of foreign students in Australia will jump from 402,000 last year to 520,000 till 2020. However to maintain its share of students, an annual growth of 7 per cent in enrolments will be required, The Age newspaper reported.
"Though such projections of likely outcomes are challenging, given the influence of external factors, the council's estimate that Australia can expect to be hosting an additional 117,000 international students by 2020 � a 30 per cent increase in today's figure," the report said.
The report added that Australia's international education activities generate more than 15 billion dollars of income annually, supporting more than 100,000 jobs. About 80 per cent of foreign students in Australia come from Asia.

According to Council chairman Michael Chaney, "Among these are rising costs, including the high value of the Australian dollar, a new generation of students for whom a global career and mobility opportunities are major driving factors in their choice of study destination".

The report also talks of creating a Ministerial Co-ordinating Council for International Education chaired by Bowen, regulations to be refined and ensuring that foreign students maintain adequate English proficiency throughout their studies to prepare them for work experience and employment.
It also suggested to develop partnerships between Australian and overseas institutions for exchange of students.
Australia should increase promotion of Australian education sector in emerging regions, such as Latin America, Middle East and Africa, the report said.

In a speech to the higher education conference today, Bowen said, "in the six months to December 2012, there was a 27 per cent growth in higher education visas granted to offshore applicants, compared to the same period in 2011".
Australian Council for Educational Research study has found that the higher education visas for Indian students fell from 34,200 in 2007-08 to 9750 in 2011-12.