[lvlrsSTI]

SYDNEY - Australia is struggling to find a way to bring back foreign students and reboot its lucrative international education sector, prompting concerns that the students may start looking to study in other countries.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Australia's strict travel curbs have left the sector frozen, leading to a loss of about 100,000 students and costing the economy about A$10 billion (S$10 billion) in the past year.

The losses have forced universities to cut staff and courses.


But a series of plans by states and universities to try to safely bring back foreign students have repeatedly failed to start.

New South Wales, the most populous state, has proposed a pilot programme in which 250 students will be allowed to fly in from overseas on charter flights every two weeks, going up to 500 students per fortnight by the end of the year.

The students, expected to initially come mainly from China, Singapore and South Korea, will be quarantined in special student accommodation in the inner city.

The plan has been approved by the health authorities and police but has been put on hold due to the state's current Covid-19 crisis.

The New South Wales Premier, Ms Gladys Berejiklian, said last month that the plan will be resumed after the state emerges from its current lockdown.

The lockdown is scheduled to end on Aug 28, but may be extended as the current surge in cases, caused by the highly infectious Delta strain of the coronavirus, has proved difficult to contain. Case numbers have gradually been increasing, with 262 new local infections recorded on Sunday (Aug 8).

In Victoria, the state government has been in slow-moving talks with Canberra over a plan to bring back students. But the authorities have reportedly not yet agreed on quarantine arrangements.


Australia has barred entry to most non-residents and placed caps on the number of overseas arrivals, meaning that international students have been unable to enter the country for more than a year.

The state of South Australia is planning to proceed with a trial to fly in students, possibly starting later this month.

Up to 160 students will be allowed to arrive every two weeks. They will undergo quarantine at a facility at an airport in northern Adelaide.

[cityhantam]

Can close down their universities mah! 

India also very unhappy! 


https://www.theguardian.com/education/20...ioner-says