The government said earlier that the move will close the loophole in its visa rules that allowed international students to enrol for cheaper vocational courses as soon as they arrive in the country
The Australian government has put a ban on the concurrent study that allowed students to take admission into cheaper vocational courses in addition to their core subjects. After the implementation of the ban, students will not be able to enroll themselves in vocational courses during the first six months of their principal course of study.
The government said earlier that the move will close the loophole in its visa rules that allowed international students to enrol for cheaper vocational courses as soon as they arrive in the country.
The decision to put a ban on the concurrent study came after recent investigations revealed that many students were misusing this rule to ditch their university courses and permanently switch to cheaper courses.
The new move could delay the graduation plans of the students and it may also make it more difficult for them to find part-time work to support themselves. Enrolling in two courses at a time helped the students to prepare themselves for the job market through short courses
According to Reuters, there has been a sharp uptake in the use of the concurrent study in the recent years. Around 17,000 concurrent enrolments were created in the first half of 2023 as against 10,500 for the same period in 2019 and 2022 combined.
Reuters further quoted Education Minister Jason Clare as saying that the change will work to stop predatory ‘second’ providers from enrolling students before they have studied for the required six months at their first provider. International education is Australia’s fourth-largest export industry and maintaining the sector’s integrity was critical for the country’s economy, he added.
The new rules do not impact international students who are already holding concurrent enrolments. The impact of the rule will be borne by new students who are looking to take admission in the second course concurrently. These students will have to wait for first six months of their principal course of study and take approval from their education provider to take admission in two courses concurrently.
The new move could delay the graduation plans of the students and it may also make it more difficult for them to find part-time work to support themselves. Enrolling in two courses at a time helped the students to prepare themselves for the job market through short courses.
*************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com