Australian universities offer rebates to foreign students stranded overseas due to the coronavirus
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FebFebruary 2021 at 4:06am
Naufal Zavier says the four-hour time difference between Australia and Indonesia was a big challenge for him.
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As Australian universities gear up for another academic year amid a global pandemic, some institutions are offering fee rebates for foreign students.
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Experts say universities need to keep a competitive edge to retain international students
One university turned its only overseas facility, in China, into a study hub for foreign students
International students say there are challenges such as different time zones and technology limitations
Schools seek answers on international students
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The Andrews government is being urged to âconsider all optionsâ to get international school students back into the country, including putting them on charter flights and into residential quarantine.
Education Minister James Merlino met with principals from state, Catholic and independent schools on Tuesday afternoon, but offered them no commitment on when overseas students might be allowed back into the state.
Oakleigh Grammar principal Mark Robertson with international students Sinky and Betty.
Credit:Penny Stephens
More than 40 high-fee Victorian schools are proposing that year 11 and 12 students from low-COVID places such as China, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Cambodia would take exclusively commissioned charter flights to Melbourne. The students would then go into hotel quarantine with
Covid-19 leaves colleges short on international students and money
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Mike Cherney
, The Wall Street Journal
Experts on the sector say it will take years for the schools, among the best in the world, to recover from the economic damage
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Australia’s decision to close its borders protected it from the coronavirus. But that policy is wreaking havoc on the country’s universities, which relied on lucrative tuition from foreign students who are stuck overseas.
Experts say it will take years for the schools, among the best in the world, to recover from the economic damage. Already, Australian universities have cut more than 17,000 jobs, according to industry group Universities Australia. It said operating revenue fell 4.9% last year and is expected to fall another 5.5% this year.