The ?racial attacks? on Indians in Australia has led to a 10-20% fall in the number of students going Down Under from the eastern region of the country. Australia ?s loss though, has come as a blessing for England.
?UK will gain from Australia?s short-term loss. UK has made its visa process easier this year and this will win students over,? said Ravi Lochan Singh, managing director of Global Reach. Students who changed their mind after the news of the attacks may still apply for England as the admissions there are held in September, whereas for countries like New Zealand and the US , it may already be too late to apply.
?Intake in the UK is primarily in September and visas do not take long anymore. UK had eased its visa norms in April and students have to show funds for only one year and that too, in recent balance,? Singh said, adding, ?However, Australia?s loss will not amount to much in the medium-term.?
About 4% (1500) of all students from India hail from eastern India . Considering the fact that a student pursuing a masters? degree pays an average of $30,000 as fees for 1-2 years in Australia, the 1500 from the region contribute around $450,00,000 to the education industry there. Australia has the largest chunk of Indian students (90,000), of which, a sizeable number (40,000) are in Melbourne. In April 2008, 58.917 students had enrolled for various courses in Australia . In April 2009, this figure went up to 81,520, an increase of 38.4%. India is second only to China in its share of overseas students in Australia.
Though Indian students in Australia have been assured of their safety by mails from universities there, parents are not ready to take any chances, said Chopra Consultants? Sarbani Sen. Global IC?s Gurpreet Singh Gill, who has stayed in Australia for eight years, refused to call Australia a racial country or even the attacks racial. ?How can you call a country racial when it has four Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Punjabi) as its regional languages,? Gill argued. He admitted that counselors and agents need to educate students about the country they are going to. ?Students should always travel in groups. The last train is always a danger as it is mostly empty and so mischief-makers target it. They should never carry extra cash. A confrontation should always be avoided and they must not give in to any provocation,? he said, listing some dos and dont?s.
The Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI) is planning a four-page document of ?dos and don?ts?, to be given to all students.