international education campusreview . com . au
Not surprisingly , these exchanges have highlighted the differences in international student social support .
Treat them right
Success of international education depends on treatment of students .
By Wade Zaglas
Despite fears that financial insecurity and border closures
brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic could destroy the international education sector , the situation may not be as dire as one might assume – as long as Australia takes the right steps . In an article written by Angela Lehmann , honorary lecturer at the College of Arts and Social Science at ANU and Aasha Sriram , a research assistant at UniMelb ’ s Melbourne Social Equity Institute , the authors say over 500,000 international students are living in Australia and – according to the Department of Home Affairs – represent 78 per cent of all student visa holders .
The article , which appeared in The Conversation , argued that such students are “ potential ambassadors for Australia and our institutions ” and could play a pivotal role in reshaping postpandemic Australia as a welcoming and safe destination to study and possibly reside later .
However , this optimistic outlook hinges on one critical requirement – we must “ look after them ”.
The numbers of international students in Australia at the moment vary across the sectors . The authors say that 73 per cent of international higher education students have returned and 78 per cent of our international postgraduate research students are here too .
The figures are even better for the vocational education and training ( VET ) sector , with 159,233 international students back in Australia .
However , the authors argue that , while we still have a vibrant and lively international student sector , in the months and years to come that could change depending on how they are treated .
“ The experiences these large numbers of students are having now will have a direct impact on their decisions and patterns of mobility once borders reopen ,” they said .
SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES International students are sharing their experiences of the situation in Australia online via social media and blogs with their friends and families around the world . In doing so , international students are frequently contrasting and comparing their experiences with students in their home countries and those living in other destinations – including the US , the UK and Canada – Australia ’ s main competitors in the sector .
ARYA : A STUDENT ’ S PERSPECTIVE The authors of the article interviewed a full-time postgraduate student from India who is living in Melbourne . Before the pandemic , Arya relied on two part-time jobs to earn enough money to live and study in Melbourne .
However , during the first lockdown in the state she lost her jobs in hospitality and higher education . Given the bleak job situation in the state at the moment , and the fact that Arya was employed in sectors that are struggling , her job prospects are grim .
While she is not eligible for federal government support through JobSeeker , Arya may be able to gain Victorian government support , such as a groceries voucher and a one-off payment of $ 1,100 . Her university may also be able to assist in covering some bills .
“ Arya ’ s goal was to study in Australia at a world-class institution and solidify her status within the upwardly mobile middle classes in India ,” the authors say .
“ Her life has been transformed into a struggle to eat , pay rent and avoid homelessness while keeping her grades up .”
THE US SITUATION Although Arya ’ s situation in Melbourne is dire , she says her friends in the US are struggling even more .
Dhanya , for instance , who moved to New York in 2017 to study , says she is struggling “ despite doing everything right ”. After Dhanya graduated she found a job , but that was thwarted when she was stripped of her H1B sponsored visa after the Trump administration put a freeze on visas .
“ The US government has not considered that we can ’ t get home ,” Dhanya told the authors , although she said that she and many of her friends were informed they could work as unpaid interns .
Like Australia , many American states enacted “ temporary eviction moratoriums and the federal government issued a partial ban on evictions ”. But these moratoriums have nearly expired , placing students at the mercy of their landlords .
In another similarity to Australia , Dhanya cannot receive unemployment benefits or a stimulus cheque because she is not a citizen .
SOME COUNTRIES ARE OFFERING FAR MORE SUPPORT Students like Arya are becoming acutely aware that other countries are including temporary migrants and international students in their “ social policy responses ” to COVID-19 .
“ The way countries handle this now is definitely going to impact how students see your country as a destination in the future ,” Arya says .
For instance , Arya says she and her friends are keeping abreast of developments in Germany and Sweden and have “ been impressed by Canada ’ s timely support for international students during this crisis ”.
Lehmann and Sriram conclude by arguing that perceptions of Australia ’ s international education market need urgent attention .
“ Australia urgently needs to actively reshape international education market perceptions by demonstrating that we offer not only world-class education , but also world-class student support . And that starts with helping the cohort of more than half-a-million international students who currently call Australia home .” ■
8