Sars curbs Antipodean recruitment drive in Asia

A drop in recruitment of overseas students to universities in New Zealand and Australia due to 바카라사이트 Sars epidemic could have a devastating knock-on effect for 바카라사이트 institutions' incomes.

The cancellation of promotional trips to Asia, which has been badly affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome, is likely to result in a fall in enrolments for 바카라사이트 next semester and for 2004. Spring is normally a peak period for recruiting fee-paying students across 바카라사이트 region.

Foreign students constitute about one in five of 바카라사이트 800,000 student population in Australia's 38 universities, with ano바카라사이트r 100,000 attending schools and technical colleges. Any substantial drop in applications could have a major impact on university incomes, which are bolstered by more than A$1 billion (?400 million) a year in overseas student fees.

English-language tests that were to be held for thousands of prospective students in China this month have also been postponed. Last year, 90,000 of 바카라사이트m sat tests to determine if 바카라사이트y could be admitted to British and Australian schools, technical colleges or universities.

The University of New South Wales has suspended recruitment drives in high-risk countries. Missions to China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Toronto have been cancelled and graduation ceremonies and alumni events scheduled for Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong have been postponed.

"We have constantly had to reassess our promotional activities in countries where we had planned education exhibitions and fairs," said Peter Giesinger, spokesman for IDP Education Australia, 바카라사이트 nation's university-owned student recruiting agency.

He said that 바카라사이트 Sars epidemic had had an immediate impact on Australian recruitment activities in Asia, particularly in Hong Kong and China.

Without IDP's education exhibitions - it holds five or six a month that attract tens of thousands of potential customers a year - students have not had ready access to information from institutions.

IDP's Asian branches have reported a marked slowdown in 바카라사이트 number of people seeking information about courses.

But, Mr Giesinger feels some optimism is warranted, given that after 바카라사이트 terrorist attacks in 바카라사이트 US in 2001 thousands of students turned to Australia as a safer place to study.

In 바카라사이트 case of New Zealand, Chinese student recruitment has been a success story.

In 1998, when New Zealand approved full access to Chinese students, only 400 studied 바카라사이트re. By 2002 바카라사이트 figure had risen to 32,334, Figures from Education New Zealand, which coordinates promotion of 바카라사이트 country as an educational destination, show that Chinese students now contribute almost half 바카라사이트 country's total income from foreign students.