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Good Practice Guide to assist International Colleges

The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today said that details of the best performing international college providers will be made available so that all colleges can learn from best practice.

Ms Gillard was speaking at the opening of the two-day International Student Roundtable which began at Parliament House in Canberra this morning.

The Roundtable will give 31 International Students studying around Australia an opportunity to bring their concerns directly to the attention of the Government. Students will meet with Ministers, receive briefings and work together to provide suggestions to the Government on international student issues.

At the end of the conference the students will present a communiqué outlining the next steps. A number of representatives from the Roundtable will then present the findings to the Ministerial Council on Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) at its first meeting later this month.

The students were selected from over 1300 applications from all states and territories, broadly representing the diversity of international students studying in Australia. Their work will inform the review of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act that governs international students.

The Roundtable is one of the many Government initiatives to further enhance the quality and sustainability of Australian international education.

A National International Student Strategy is also being developed through the Council of Australian Governments and will be implemented by MCTEE.

All providers of education to international students will now be required to undergo a re-registration process, focussing on quality, under proposed legislation currently before the Parliament.

A hotline has been established by the Department where students can anonymously raise concerns. The number is 1300 363 079. Responses to these concerns will be collated and published on Australian Education International website so that all students can benefit from this information.

The Good Practice Guide can be found on the Australian Education International website.