Indian student intake in Australia to be monitored
January 14th, 2010 - 1:43 pm ICT by IANSMelbourne, Jan 14 (IANS) Australia is tracking foreign students coming to study amid reports that the number of Indians applying for visas has fallen due to attacks on them.
The Australian government will “track the number of students coming to this country, including Indian students”, said Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
The number of Indians applying for visas to study in Australia has fallen by almost half, heightening fears for the country’s $17 billion international education industry.
Gillard told reporters here: “Obviously we are going to track the number of students coming to this country, including Indian students, as we are moving into the new academic year.”
She observed it was important that students have accurate information while deciding whether to study in Australia.
“I can understand that if you were a family in India and you were sending your young person to some other country that you would be very, very focused on how safe they are going to be when they were there.
“This is why we have to try and get the message through that overwhelmingly Australia is a very safe place,” AAP quoted her as saying Thursday.
She stressed that the authorities had taken steps to ensure that Australia continued to offer quality education to international students.
“In very high numbers international students say they enjoy their time here, that they got quality education, and they would recommend Australia as a study destination.”
A media report Jan 7, citing the immigration department figures for the period from July to Oct 31 last year, showed a 46 percent drop in student visa applications from India compared with the same period in 2008.
The drop in numbers come after Indian students were set upon and viciously assaulted, causing an outcry in India. About 115,000 Indians have studied in Australia in the last 12 months.
On Jan 2, Nitin Garg was stabbed to death in Melbourne. Another Indian, Ranjodh Singh, was found burnt and dumped in New South Wales Dec 29.
- Sharp fall in Indians keen to study in Australia: report - Jan 07, 2010
- Violence against Indian students to cause enrolment drop by 95% in 2011, warns OZ professor - Oct 15, 2010
- Indian students once again head for Australia - May 09, 2012
- Rise in Indian students opting for Australia - Jul 05, 2011
- Universities reel as Indian students ditch Australia - Jun 02, 2011
- Australia dismisses loss of overseas student as 'good thing' - Mar 09, 2012
- Indian student visas fall by half in Australia - Sep 02, 2010
- Australia sees rise in Indian students' applications (Lead) - Feb 21, 2012
- Number of Indian students going to Australia plummets by almost 50 percent - Jan 07, 2010
- Australian vocational colleges witness 38 percent drop in student visa applications - Feb 03, 2010
- Australia sees rise in Indian students' applications - Feb 21, 2012
- Australia to relax visa norms to woo students - Sep 22, 2011
- Now get confirmed admission for Oz student visa - Nov 09, 2011
- Indian student visa applications for Canada rising - Sep 26, 2010
- Australia to amend law to better protect foreign students (Lead) - Mar 09, 2010
Tags: 12 months, academic year, australian government, deputy prime minister, foreign students, garg, immigration department, indian students, indians, international education industry, international students, jan 7, nitin, oct 31, outcry, quality education, safe place, student visa applications, study destination, young person