Back in January, the Victorian Government took the unusual move of calling for a review of university entry standards out of concern that international students with limited English-language skills were struggling to keep pace with their peers, were placing undue strain on university lecturers and teaching staff, and were eroding education standards:
Premier Daniel Andrews has written a letter to the National Tertiary Education Union promising to take up the issue of English entry standards with the federal government…
“International students are a vital part of Victoria’s education system but it’s concerning that some students are enrolled in courses without adequate English language skills to complete them,” he said.
Academics, tutors and students say some international students are struggling to understand instructions in class, complete assignments and communicate with other students.
They say English standards have been set too low and can be bypassed by enrolling in bridging courses.
Over the weekend, we learned that the federal government has held roadshows across China promoting Australia’s primary and secondary schools in a bid to raise international student numbers:
Documents reveal the federal government plans to run a series of workshops and seminars to spruik the nation’s school system in a bid to bolster Chinese student numbers…
Monash University senior lecturer David Zyngier said the roadshow was “quite clearly about the money” brought in by international students…
“They’re looking to gain entry to universities here because they know they’ll get permanent residency and then go on to buy property here,” he said.
Interestingly, Victorian Government is once again pushing back, calling for a freeze on international students at public schools amid a surge in applications:
For the first time, state schools have been warned they are at risk of breaching a cap on international students set by the Victorian schools’ watchdog…
Victorian Education Department said it would exceed the enrolment cap of 5750 students next term if it continued to receive international student applications…
“Please do not offer places at your school to education agents or direct applicants for 2019″…
International students pay around $15,000 per year to study at Victorian state schools… While some schools make a small profit off international students, many just break even because these students attract no state or federal funding.
Victoria is the biggest destination state for international students and its schools are already bursting at the seems. Adding more international students into the mix will obviously make the overcrowding situation even worse.
More broadly, it is a slippery slope when public schools start relying on international students to supplement their funding. As we have witnessed with Australia’s universities, it leads to a reduction in education standards as teachers come under pressure to cater to these students at the expense of local students in a bid to keep the gravy train rolling. Many state schools are already over enrolled and the possibility of displacing local students should be discouraged.
One of the top priorities for the incoming federal government should be to enlist the Productivity Commission to undertake a broad public inquiry into Australia’s bloated international student trade. This would provide Australians with a transparent analysis of the costs and benefits from this program.
