Decade to regain foreign students

THE Australian international education sector could take 10 years to recover from changes to the skilled migration program and a ''tarnished'' reputation among overseas students.

The International Education Association of Australia president Stephen Connelly said the sector would experience a drop in enrolments of 100,000 students over the next year.

''It will be 10 years before the number of international students in Australia reaches 2009 levels,'' he said.

Mr Connelly, who is also RMIT's international and development pro-vice-chancellor, said some providers had ''an emphasis on education as a quick pathway to migration'' and federal government changes to skilled migration visas had caused a drop in enrolments.

Under changes in 2004, the number of students studying vocational training courses that would qualify them for skilled migration increased substantially.

He said the number of international students starting private vocational education and training doubled every two years. ''Clearly this was unsustainable,'' he said.

At the same time, the number of international students coming to Australia for higher education instead of vocational training dropped from 47 per cent in 2005 to just 32 per cent in 2009.

A spokeswoman for Education Minister Julia Gillard said legislative changes made earlier this year would ''help identify illegitimate providers who are in the practice of illegally 'selling' qualifications''.

''Under this new system, providers will have to prove that education is their principal purpose and that they are able to deliver that education to a high standard,'' she said.

Despite backing the government's changes, Mr Connelly said the sector was at risk from ''largely unco-ordinated policy actions by individual government departments''.

''The policy levers being applied by the Australian government are having an effect, as we would hope. Unfortunately they are being applied without proper consultation with the education sectors.''

''Despite the rhetoric, the government is still failing to provide a whole-of-government approach,'' Mr Connolly said.

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the government was consulting with the industry.

Source:http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/decade-to-regain-foreign-students-20100607-xqsu.html