Why do Sporeans send their children to Oz for study? The cost of
study there is not cheap and ugly behaviour is common; see article
from littlespeck.com.
The same question can be asked for holidays down under; it is not
cheap and to me, it's a pretty boring place.
I guess the only thing positive between Oz and Spore is trade and
defence ties.
Foreign students
report racism
Foreign student arrivals drop by nearly two-thirds, here's why. The
Age.
Jun 16, 2005
INTERNATIONAL students studying at Australian universities are
suffering from "alarming levels" of discrimination, isolation and
financial pressure, according to research.
A Monash University study has found that half the international
students interviewed had suffered from discrimination or bad
treatment; 57 per cent of female students reported
discrimination.
One in 10 said they felt unsafe in Australia. Racism was most
likely to occur at work or when students were seeking somewhere to
live, the research found.
"I wear my headscarf back in Brunei," one Muslim student said in
her interview. But in Australia, "everybody was staring at me. I
wore that headscarf for three days, and then I started telling
myself that it's not safe. I decided not to wear it."
The study, whose full results are revealed by The Age, was
conducted by the Monash Institute for the Study of Global
Movements.
It interviewed more than 200 students from 34 countries. Principal
researcher Simon Marginson said the finding of students feeling
unsafe was striking, and showed Australia had "a way to go" in
providing a welcoming atmosphere for international students.
Professor Marginson said safety and security were key factors in
student choice about where to study. And with a slowing
international student market, he cautioned that the findings should
be "ringing alarm
bells".
Almost two-thirds of students reported feeling isolation and
loneliness, with females and those in regional cities more likely
to suffer.
More than two-thirds work or have worked here, with 35 per
cent
reporting financial difficulties.
RMIT vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner said similar surveys by RMIT
found a sense of belonging and support were key issues for
international students.
Professor Gardner said universities had made many improvements in
helping international students in their transition to studying in
Australia and realise more needs to be done.
The findings coincide with a new report to the Federal Government
urging an overhaul of the regulations covering international
students.
The report expresses concerns about students' pastoral care. It
identifies home stays, financial hardship, mental illness, unlawful
activities and visa breaches as areas of concern.
Student care "is emerging as an area of considerable risk to not
only the wellbeing of students . . . but also to Australia's
reputation as a destination for overseas students", it says.
Growth in the international market has continued to slide. The
number of international students starting study in Australia is
down by almost two-thirds so far this year on last year.
Too high fees
Monash University vice-chancellor Richard Larkins said Australia
was "in danger of losing the race" for international students as
universities in neighbouring South-East and Northern Asian became
more competitive.
He warned that overreliance on revenue from overseas students could
cause fee rises that would deter students from studying in
Australia.
"We're probably getting very much in danger of pricing ourselves
out
of the market," he said.
The Age
