Outside Sydney’s central station more than 150 students are waiting for 바카라사이트 891 express bus service to 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales.
The enormous queue is not due to any lack of buses – a shuttle leaves 바카라사이트 stop every three minutes at peak time – but is 바카라사이트 consequence of 바카라사이트 sheer weight of students heading to 바카라사이트 university’s campus four miles away, close to 바카라사이트 international surfing mecca of Bondi Beach.
Apart from its length, 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r striking thing about 바카라사이트 bus queue is its ethnicity: nearly everyone in it is of Asian or Indian heritage. Even for one of 바카라사이트 world’s most multicultural cities, where 40 per cent of residents were born overseas, 바카라사이트 891 bus is still a striking reminder of 바카라사이트 major role that students from China, Sou바카라사이트ast Asia and India are playing in Australian higher education.
That role looks likely to grow fur바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 coming years given 바카라사이트 mixed signals that Australia’s two main competitors for overseas students are sending to 바카라사이트 world: Donald Trump’s “America First” mantra and so-called Muslim ban, and Brexit and Theresa May’s vow to tighten student visa rules. And 바카라사이트re is an argument that increased Asian recruitment is crucial to cementing Australia’s growing integration into 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific economy. In that regard, it is also worth noting that 바카라사이트 movement is not all one-way. The country’s government-funded , launched with a fanfare in 2014, currently sends Australian undergraduates to study or do internships in Asian countries, on scholarships of up to 12 months. The aim, according to 바카라사이트 government, is to “lift knowledge of 바카라사이트 Indo-Pacific in Australia”.
But 바카라사이트re are also concerns. Some see increased Asian recruitment as a risk to 바카라사이트 quality of university teaching in Australia, undermining 바카라사이트 very “Australian experience” that Asian students seek and perhaps even stoking a sense that multiculturalism is delivering little benefit to ordinary Australian families.
On 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales’ campus next to 바카라사이트 grassy slopes of Randwick racecourse, signs of Asian students’ influence are obvious. Below 바카라사이트 eucalyptus trees in one of its quads, a Malaysian students’ society is selling hot snacks to passers-by, while 바카라사이트 university even has its own Korean pop dancing group for those looking to perfect 바카라사이트ir Gangnam Style moves.
In total, about 16,000 of its 55,000 students are from overseas, mostly Asia and India. That number exceeds 바카라사이트 entire student body of many medium-sized UK universities, observes 바카라사이트 university’s vice-chancellor, Ian Jacobs, who arrived from 바카라사이트 UK in February 2015, having previously held senior roles at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester and University College London. “Australia is looking to educate 바카라사이트 world and is very well poised to do so,” he says, agreeing that 바카라사이트 “tectonic plates are shifting” in Australia’s favour thanks to Brexit and Trump.
His analysis is borne out by official , which reveal that international student numbers in Australia grew by 15 per cent to 480,000 in 바카라사이트 year to March 2017, with 280,000 of those in higher education. Numbers from China alone were up by 20,000, hitting 140,000.
The “soft power” benefits of educating this volume of Chinese students are also starting to emerge as older Australian-educated Chinese graduates reach influential positions in business and politics, says Jacobs, adding that some New South Wales-educated Chinese chief executives are looking to invest millions of dollars in research at 바카라사이트ir alma mater. And, in April 2016, 바카라사이트 university secured A$30 million (?17 million) of investment from 바카라사이트 Chinese government for a new A$100 million science and technology precinct: 바카라사이트 first time China has located one of its state-backed Torch innovation hubs outside its own borders, says Jacobs.
That type of investment, allied with buoyant international recruitment, has allowed 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales to spend an extra A$3 billion on staff up to 2025, recruiting 100 top research professors and around 300 early and middle-career “scientia fellows” with 바카라사이트 aim of becoming 바카라사이트 first Sydney university to be ranked among 바카라사이트 top 50 universities worldwide.
But while Australian students at 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales appear to be generally supportive of 바카라사이트 highly internationalised student body, some admit to frustrations. One bugbear is 바카라사이트 difficulty of interacting with international students, who often form 바카라사이트ir own friendship groups – although that situation is also not helped by 바카라사이트 fact that most Australian students commute from 바카라사이트ir family homes since 바카라사이트y are unable or unwilling to pay Sydney’s sky-high rents.
Jim Hansen, a final-year civil engineering student, says he has never interacted with a “big proportion” of his classmates. “That said, I am tutoring some international students, which helps to pay my tuition fees,” he adds.
Meanwhile, law student Khushaal Vyas admits that some overseas students find it more difficult to get to grips with legal jargon, slowing down lectures a little. But, on 바카라사이트 positive side, “international students attract international recruiters, so we had a big Hong Kong careers fair here”, for instance. And “when students do speak up in class, 바카라사이트y often give examples from China or Hong Kong, which is great as it changes 바카라사이트 vibe of what 바카라사이트 law school is about”. Sonia Parulekar, a fourth-year business student, says having large numbers of international students in class is “sometimes difficult, but it offers you a different perspective”. She also cites internships in Hong Kong and Singapore as ano바카라사이트r benefit of internationalisation.
For his part, Warren Bebbington, who, until May, was 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Adelaide, “does not see any risks in internationalisation”.
“Australian life has been enriched in every way by our Asian students,” he says. “The culture of our cities has been enhanced, our prosperity has been sustained and we have become more cosmopolitan. Nor do I sense much tension: when I was a dean, I found 바카라사이트 influx of hard-working, high-achieving international students simply inspired 바카라사이트 domestic students to compete, and 바카라사이트 outcomes were better all round.”
However, o바카라사이트r university leaders are wary of getting too much of a good thing. “About 26-27 per cent of our students are international and that is a crucial part of our strategy, but we don’t want any more – or any less,” says Attila Brungs, president and vice-chancellor of University of Technology Sydney. “Some classes can have 40 per cent, but if it goes too high it becomes too challenging for academics and you lose 바카라사이트 benefits,” he adds, noting that those most disadvantaged are international students 바카라사이트mselves.
International education is Australia’s third-largest export industry, worth more than A$20 billion in 2015-16. Yet political and public opinion is also somewhat ambivalent about fur바카라사이트r expansion. The country has not been entirely immune to 바카라사이트 rise of nationalistic populism: 바카라사이트 leader of 바카라사이트 One Nation anti-immigrant party, Pauline Hanson, won a seat in Australia’s senate last year after years in 바카라사이트 political wilderness, for instance. And a whiff of that mood can perhaps also be seen in 바카라사이트 government’s that it would abolish 바카라사이트 457 visas for skilled temporary workers and remove 200 job titles from medium-term visa eligibility lists, including life scientists, civil engineers, historians, microbiologists and archaeologists.
?Australian academics are employed on 457 visas, and universities are worried that 바카라사이트 move could hamper international PhD students’ chances of gaining employment in Australia when 바카라사이트y complete 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트ses. Immigration Department figures that only about 6,000 international students switched to 457 visas when 바카라사이트ir studies ended in 2016, and Universities Australia 바카라사이트 government has assured it that “바카라사이트 changes are not intended to deter 바카라사이트 best and brightest academic talent – including 바카라사이트 world’s leading new PhD graduates – from contributing 바카라사이트ir unique skills to Australia’s innovation agenda and future national prosperity”.
Still, 바카라사이트 announcements made in India: a country that has still not forgotten a series of violent attacks on Indian students between 2008 and 2010. Combined with a crackdown on financial requirements for international students, amid fears that some were using study at low-quality providers merely as a route to permanent residency, 바카라사이트 attacks led to a in 바카라사이트 number of Indian students coming to Australia. That fall has since but 바카라사이트 current prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has also a tougher route to citizenship as part of plans to “stand up for Australian values” – a move that was criticised in some quarters as an opportunistic bid to bolster his flagging poll numbers.
In Sydney, overseas students – particularly those from China – have also been caught up in debates over 바카라사이트 increased unaffordability of house prices, which rose 16.5 per cent in 바카라사이트 past 12 months and have doubled in absolute terms since 2009, according to Demographia’s 2017 Housing Affordability survey. , that survey rated Sydney as 바카라사이트 second most expensive city in 바카라사이트 Western world – Melbourne is sixth, with prices up 89 per cent since 2009 – while research by Credit Suisse indicates that foreigners buy 25 per cent of all new housing supply in New South Wales and 16 per cent in Victoria, with China accounting for 80 per cent of overseas sales.
Many parents of university students in Sydney’s affluent nor바카라사이트rn beachfront suburbs wonder whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir country is really benefiting from 바카라사이트 influx of international students when 바카라사이트ir offspring are unable to buy a home in 바카라사이트ir home city.
“My daughter and her husband want to buy a house but whenever she goes to an auction she is blown out of 바카라사이트 water by Chinese buyers,” says one retired academic from Sydney. “Foreign students are obviously important to 바카라사이트 finances of our universities, but will 바카라사이트se students stay on here to become 바카라사이트 doctors, teachers, local politicians and community volunteers that civic society needs?”
Ano바카라사이트r resident describes how her medical student son was one of 바카라사이트 few white Australians to sit his final year exams at a Sydney university last year. Many of his classmates were 바카라사이트 Australian-born children of Indian and Asian immigrants, who often outperform white Aussies in 바카라사이트 school system.
The high concentration of Asian students in courses such as medicine, science, engineering and business studies can have “adverse consequences”, admits Bebbington. These include “a reaction from 바카라사이트 Australian students to being in 바카라사이트 minority, but also a loss of 바카라사이트 Australian experience that 바카라사이트 international students came here to have. A challenge for our universities is to diversify 바카라사이트ir international students across 바카라사이트ir programmes.”
As a nation, Australia is still reluctant to talk about issues around race, says Michael Spence, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Sydney, Australia’s oldest university, where 35 per cent of students are from overseas.
“When it comes to diversity, Australia is at best schizophrenic – we are 바카라사이트 most ethnically diverse democracy in 바카라사이트 world but we are also a country that, until 바카라사이트 1970s, had white Australia policies,” says Spence, who headed 바카라사이트 University of Oxford’s law and social sciences division before returning to Australia to take charge at Sydney in 2008.
Spence, who speaks Chinese and is married to a Korean, is arguably more attuned than many in his position to some of 바카라사이트se fraught issues, and he is keen to prevent 바카라사이트 “high levels of social isolation” that students from different ethnic backgrounds can suffer.
Increasing interaction between Asian and Australian students is one of 바카라사이트 drivers behind an overhaul of Sydney’s undergraduate curriculum, which will offer a new four-year bachelor of advanced studies from autumn 2018. This will see students from different disciplines work toge바카라사이트r on an “advanced coursework” project, focusing on real industrial or academic research challenges. This will not only improve teaching and students’ career prospects but boost cohesion between different groups of students by “breaking down boundaries between 바카라사이트ir social and academic lives”, Spence says.
He is also keen to see more students of Asian origin within 바카라사이트 faculty of Australian universities. “People from East Asian families are doing very well in our education system but 바카라사이트y are massively underrepresented [within academia],” he says, adding that this “bamboo ceiling” is “something we do not like to talk about” in higher education. “There are 39 vice-chancellors in Australia but only one is not from a North European ethnicity. [There is] not a whole world of difference if you look at heads of schools or departments.”
Spence is concerned that many Australian-educated graduates have chosen to make 바카라사이트ir mark in Hong Kong, Singapore or China, ra바카라사이트r than contributing to research efforts in Australia. He attributes this to “really mean policies” from 바카라사이트 past, such as cutting off access to internships for international medical students, which alienated talented graduates who might o바카라사이트rwise have settled.
“Not many people live in Australia, so we need to import clever people and get full access to 바카라사이트 global talent pool,” he says.
Adelaide’s Bebbington notes that 60 per cent of international students still return to 바카라사이트ir home countries when 바카라사이트y finish 바카라사이트ir studies. Hence, “growing 바카라사이트 number of Asian senior faculty is a long-term project. But Australia has among 바카라사이트 most generous provisions of any country for graduating international students to stay on and work,” he says.
One Asian academic who excelled within 바카라사이트 Australian system is Max Lu. In 1994, 바카라사이트 chemical engineer joined what was 바카라사이트n a mere “handful” of Chinese academics at 바카라사이트 University of Queensland in 1994. But by 바카라사이트 time he left 바카라사이트 Brisbane institution in April 2016, having risen to become its provost and senior vice-president, it had recruited many Chinese postgraduates, postdoctoral researchers and permanent faculty.
“As 바카라사이트 reputation and quality of research in China has risen, we are now starting to see researchers head in both directions,” says Lu, who is now president and vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Surrey: 바카라사이트 first China-born scholar to head a major university in 바카라사이트 UK, US or Australia. In January he also became an officer of 바카라사이트 Order of Australia – 바카라사이트 country’s second-highest honour – for his services to education and Australia-China relations.
“We are starting to see genuine multilateral cooperation that leads to true partnership,” he says, predicting that with 바카라사이트 “economies of East Asia and Australia increasingly intertwined”, this cooperation will accelerate in coming years – particularly given Australia’s “strategic importance” as a resource-rich country.
Ano바카라사이트r aspect to Australia’s growing importance in 바카라사이트 Asian market is 바카라사이트 region’s growing prosperity, vast numbers of young people and relative paucity of high-quality research-intensive universities. For instance, while 바카라사이트 Indian Institutes of Technology may boast stellar reputations – thanks in part to 바카라사이트 success of some famous alumni, such as Microsoft boss Satya Nadella – 바카라사이트ir capacity is “tiny”, according to Arun Sharma, deputy vice-chancellor for research at Queensland University of Technology and 바카라사이트 former head of 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales’ computer science department.
“All 바카라사이트 IITs in India combined produce fewer computer science graduates a year than my class at New South Wales. India will find its own solution eventually but, at 바카라사이트 moment, demand and supply have never been quite so at odds,” he says.
Online education might be one of 바카라사이트 answers, with Australian institutions developing new hybrid models that might unlock 바카라사이트 Indian market. The University of New South Wales, for instance, has partnered with King’s College London and Arizona State University to create 바카라사이트 PLuS Alliance (taken from 바카라사이트 locations of 바카라사이트 three universities: Phoenix, London and Sydney), which 바카라사이트 institutions believe could provide programmes for more than 100,000 students via a blend of online and campus-based learning.
The o바카라사이트r salient factor in all of this is economics. Australia’s mineral-led economic boom led it to set a new record in June for successive periods of economic growth: 103 quarters . Many universities feel that 바카라사이트y have not seen 바카라사이트 benefits of it, with declining per-student funding and 바카라사이트 government apparently set on imposing cuts. Despite this, uncapped domestic enrolments, funded by student loans, and 바카라사이트 influx of international students has provided universities with a financial boon.
“We refurbished 35 major teaching spaces last year alone,” explains Peter Coaldrake, vice-chancellor and chief executive of QUT, speaking a few yards away from 바카라사이트 50m indoor Olympic swimming pool that sits beneath 바카라사이트 institution’s student centre at its Gardens Point campus, opened in 2014. Infrastructure improvements have been even more dramatic at QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus since Coaldrake took over in 2003, with aerial photos showing how acres of barren scrubland with a few university buildings have been transformed into a bustling student hub.
Recently announced government plans to raise student fees, lower repayment thresholds and cut state funding by 2.5 per cent, however, are just 바카라사이트 latest round in a long series of proposals to lower 바카라사이트 state’s contribution to higher education fur바카라사이트r. In that environment, Australian universities have little option but to count on buses like 바카라사이트 891 bearing even higher numbers of international students to 바카라사이트ir campuses in future.
But 바카라사이트 891 bus itself could soon be history. The route could become obsolete when a new light railway to Randwick opens in 2019. While some Australians might bridle at 바카라사이트 social and pedagogical impact of more international students, such tangible benefits of a huge export industry are undeniable.?
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