international education campusreview . com . au
The good news
UA chief explains why our international student market ‘ still has a good story to tell ’.
Catriona Jackson interviewed by Wade Zaglas
In a recent article published in The Conversation , Dr Peter Hurley from the Mitchell Institute argued that
Australia ’ s international student “ crisis ” in higher education would continue to linger long after our borders reopen , citing the problem of the “ pipeline effect ”. He also argued that a more managed policy approach was needed to build and sustain international student growth across the entire sector , rather than just the Group of Eight ( Go8 ) university members .
Universities Australia ( UA ) chief executive Catriona Jackson spoke to Campus Review about some of the points brought up by Hurley , agreeing that “ there certainly will be a pipeline effect , a gap or lag ” on international student enrolments at Australian universities due to non-commencements and non-completion of preparatory English programs .
But while Hurley called for a more managed policy approach to share international student revenue across the entire university sector , Jackson argues the sector needs to do a better job at “ making international students aware of options available to them across the entire sector ”, which cater for their different preferences .
The UA chief acknowledges that challenges lie ahead , but added that Australia has “ a very good story to tell ”, particularly in light of our high vaccination rates and reputation as a safe country . Jackson also addresses questions relating to Australia ’ s competitiveness in the world and Chinese students being “ extraordinarily resolute in sticking with Australian universities ”.
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