Fed: International students need protection: educators

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2009
Fed: International students need protection: educators

By Bonny Symons-Brown

CANBERRA, Aug 27 AAP - A coalition of peak educators has called on the federal government
to roll out a new safety campaign designed to protect vulnerable international students.

The coalition of six higher education groups released a joint statement on the state
of Australia's international education industry on Thursday.

They want to see the sector developed to maximise its diplomatic, social, cultural
and economic benefits to the community.

As a starting point, the coalition has drawn up a 10-point action plan for international
student education that they want to start discussing with the federal government before
October.

The plan calls for a "student safe" campaign for domestic and international students,
following the bashing of Indian students earlier this year.

It also wants to see education agents, who have been accused of ripping off the foreign
students they recruit to study in Australia, better regulated.

The coalition is made up of The Australian Council for Private Education and Training,
TAFE Directors Australia, English Australia, the International Education Association of
Australia, the Independent Schools Council of Australia and Universities Australia.

It said it wasn't poor laws that were damaging the reputation of international education
in Australia, it was the fact that they were not being enforced.

"The focus should not be on the development of further and more prescriptive regulation
so much as on effective application of existing legislation," the coalition said.

They were especially concerned with the "fragmented approach" and "inadequate investment"

in the sector's regulation.

"There is a lack of coherence in regulatory jurisdictions, responsibilities and practices,"

the coalition said.

"This fragmentation has been damaging, first and foremost to students, but also to
the industry as a whole."

The government last week introduced to parliament tougher rules to protect overseas
students from unscrupulous education agents.

AAP bsb/sb/ht

KEYWORD: STUDENTS

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