Australian Education Sectors May Lose International Students Due to Constant Travel Ban

Australian Education Sectors May Lose International Students

Since the Covid-19 has affected the whole world, there’s a constant ban on travel activities from different countries. Australia is one of these countries that has banned all flights to stop the spread of Coronavirus. International students are mostly affected due to the travel ban as they can’t travel to Australia to continue their studies.

 

Therefore, there’s a risk that Australia may lose its international students from different countries. Australia is undoubtedly a dream place to study and work for many people. However, the constant ban on traveling is making students think to transfer to their local institutes.

Risk of Losing Chinese Students

According to Global Education Provider Navitas, there are many Chinese students who’ve left Australia due to closed borders and rising tension between Canberra and Beijing. The diplomatic and trade sanctions are also the reason that international students are being turned off.

 

According to a news report, some students from China were interested to continue their studies in Australia. However, some education agents suggested they to go any other country for their studies. Further, many education agents have removed their consulting departments in Australia.

 

In March, a survey of 900 Education Consultants was held in 73 different countries. The survey was completed before China announced to suspend the Australia-China Strategic Economic Dialogue and the Federal Budget 2021. Though, the Australian education sectors earn up to 10$ billion from international students. So there are chances that Australia may face a huge loss in its education sector business.

 

Although, the education agents are recommending international students to apply to other countries for their studies. As there’s no clear announcement about the reopening of borders in Australia. The Government wants international students to wait for the right time when the travel ban will be lifted.

 

Moreover, the management of the Federal Government for Covid-19 couldn’t change the behavior of education agents. The agents are still suggesting Chinese students move to another country until the ban is lifted. Students also find the United States of America as an attractive and safe place to study. It’s because the US has provided a better health response and instructions for the Covid-19 Pandemic.

 

According to research by Nine News, Chinese students are still confused about continuing their studies in Australia. In the given report, there are no certain announcements regarding the reopening of flights and borders in Australia and New Zealand.

Chinese Students Look for Local Institutes

There are only 20% of agents in China who’ve claimed that the border will reopen soon and students can travel to Australia in the first half of 2022. However, Chinese students are also looking for some other countries to continue their studies. They also had been looking for local options where they can apply for studies. These local educational institutes include study hubs such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Korea.

 

According to the latest report by Nine News, there’re only 10% of agents who were sure about the reopening of Australia and New Zealand borders. The agents claimed that international students will be able to travel to Australia in the first half of 2021.

Victorian Schools Could Part Ways if Australian Borders Remain Closed

According to the latest report by industry professionals, the number of international student enrollment has fallen 30% due to travel restrictions in Australia. Therefore, there’s news circulating about the disassociation of Victorian Schools with Australia. The Victorian schools may part their ways for international programs with Australian institutes.

 

Dale Pearce, the Senior Secondary College Principal in Bendigo had said that some schools in Victoria may end their international programs with Australia. Moreover, they’ll also discharge the staff members working in Australian sectors as there’s no clear and confirm update about the reopening of borders.

 

According to a report, Dale Pearce has said that the schools are marginally profitable to us. Though, due to the constant ban on traveling, they can’t continue working with Australia for international programs.

Australian Education Assessment Services (AEASO)

According to the managing director of Australian Education Assessment Services (AEASO), many English language programs have already been closed. AEAS is the education management organization in Australia that offers different assessment services to international schools and helps the schools market all over the world.

 

This organization provides help to international students to travel to Australia through charter flights from low-risk Covid-19 places such as Singapore. Tracey O’Halloran has said that she knows about one school that is going to disband its international programs with Australia. However, other Victorian schools aren’t accepting any enrollment from Australia until there are clear updates about the reopening of flights.

 

Though, not all educational professionals agree on the decision of disbanding international programs with Australia. Therefore, Colin Axup, the president of the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals was reported saying that Victorian schools will be using the wait-and-see strategy before finalizing anything.

 

According to the Federal Budget of Australia, international students could return to Australia through small phased programs which will gradually be increasing in 2022.

Decrease in Enrolments

As reported by The Age, there’s a 30% reduction in international students’ enrolment in Victorian schools. 4,900 students got registered in the Victorian Schools at the start of this year. However, there were more than 6,950 international students who were enrolled in Victorian schools last year.

 

According to the official facts and figures, there’re only 448 international students who enrolled in Victorian schools in 2021. The number of students was 1,400 back in 2020 when they enrolled in the Victorian schools. So there’s a prominent fall in the number of students as compared to the prior years.

 

Australia and Victoria had the biggest international programs before the Covid-19 pandemic happened. In this program, there were 64% of international students attended Victorian government schools. These international students are including from China, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

 

In 2020, there were thousands of students who flew back from Australia for remote study due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, only 4,000 students stayed in Australia and didn’t go back to their homes.

 

The Victorian government has more than 150 official primary and secondary schools. Apart from the Covid-19 situation, the government schools of Australia have been welcoming international students for the past 25 years.

Conclusion

Australia has restricted its flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic and closed its borders. International students can’t travel to Australia to continue their studies. Moreover, there’s no certain announcement from the Government that when will the borders open again. This situation is mainly affecting international students who’re stuck outside the border and can’t complete their studies.

 

Therefore, Australia may lose its international students if the borders would remain closed. Chinese and other international students are heading towards other countries and local institutions to continue their studies. Further, Victorian schools are also planning to disband the international programs with Australia and discharge all the staff. As nobody has any clue about the reopening of Australian borders.

Related Articles:

 

 

I’m Nasir Nawaz. I’m a registered migration consultant in Australia. I am based in Sydney. I’ve studied Master of Laws at the University of New South Wales. I’m providing immigration services for several years.

Consult with me for legal advice on Australian visas to permanently live, study, and work in Australia.