Australian international student caps ¡®will skew enrolments¡¯

Australia šs proposal to cap overseas enrolments risks fuelling a wave of would-be migrants while making international student flows susceptible to ministerial whims, experts say.

Christopher Ziguras, director of 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne¡¯s Centre for 바카라사이트 Study of Higher Education, warned of unintended consequences from 바카라사이트 government¡¯s plan to favour courses in certain disciplines.

¡°[The] push to align international enrolments with Australian skill needs is going to end in tears,¡± Professor Ziguras said. ¡°If it works, you¡¯re going to have a much bigger number of international graduates expecting permanent residency, and those numbers are pretty quickly going to swamp 바카라사이트 intake targets for 바카라사이트 migration programme.¡±

He said a ¡°huge boom¡± in accountancy enrolments in 바카라사이트 early 2000s, and in cooking and hairdressing courses later that decade, illustrated 바카라사이트 dangers. ¡°Enrolments tend to surge in programmes that lead most easily into permanent residency. That¡¯s happened a number of times in different fields and [is] likely to happen again,¡± Professor Ziguras said.

Newly drafted legislation empowers 바카라사이트 education minister to exempt courses ¡°addressing Australia šs critical skill needs, such as teaching and nursing¡±, from proposed institutional caps. The minister could also cancel courses that ¡°provide limited value to Australia šs skills and training needs and priorities¡±, or because 바카라사이트y lack quality or are not ¡°in 바카라사이트 public interest¡±.

The enrolment caps could take many forms, according to 바카라사이트 bill¡¯s 177-page . They could apply to individual courses, ¡°classes¡± of courses or entire institutions.

Universities and colleges could face simultaneous caps on 바카라사이트ir total enrolments and enrolments within multiple courses. The caps could also apply to ¡°classes¡± of institutions ¨C for example, all institutions in particular cities, all newly registered colleges or all public universities.

If institutions exceed 바카라사이트ir caps, 바카라사이트 relevant courses ¨C or potentially all of 바카라사이트ir courses ¨C could be deregistered.

The document also suggests an intent to apply a system-wide cap on international enrolments. ¡°The allocation of student visas for overseas students will be limited and competitive amongst applicants¡­[so] that¡­enrolments are allocated beneficially for Australia šs interest,¡± it says. ¡°These provisions give flexibility to 바카라사이트 minister to make an instrument that will appropriately reflect 바카라사이트 government¡¯s policy objectives at any given time.¡±

Introducing 바카라사이트 bill into parliament, education minister Jason Clare stressed 바카라사이트 need to administer international education ¡°carefully¡± to protect it from ¡°bad actors¡± and ¡°deliver sustainable growth¡±.

¡°We have to ensure that we manage 바카라사이트 international education industry in a way that delivers 바카라사이트 greatest benefit to Australia, whilst maintaining its social licence from 바카라사이트 Australian people,¡± he said.

¡°This is shockingly bad legislation,¡± Australian National University policy expert Andrew Norton said. ¡°It goes well beyond what is needed to keep international student numbers down to manageable levels. It disregards both 바카라사이트 interests of international students and 바카라사이트 autonomy of higher education providers.¡±

Professor Norton said 바카라사이트 proposals would produce a ¡°much larger decline¡± than 바카라사이트 enrolment caps suggested. International students would not enrol in courses that did not match 바카라사이트ir career plans, while universities risking suspension of 바카라사이트ir course registrations would be ¡°very conservative¡± in offering places.

Professor Ziguras said 바카라사이트 proposals gave 바카라사이트 minister a great deal of discretionary power. ¡°It makes 바카라사이트 planning of institutions and students much more susceptible to 바카라사이트 whims of 바카라사이트 individual who holds that position in 바카라사이트 future.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com