Fed:Further complaints of rorting in international students sector
Tue Sep 8 02:27:19 EST 2009
Mon Sep 7 16:27:19 UTC 2009
CANBERRA, Sept 7 AAP - Fresh allegations of corruption have been levelled against private college operators, further damaging Australia's reputation as a destination for international students.
There are new claims of students attending so-called private colleges being tricked and ripped off, including some being threatened with deportation for refusing to pay additional fees.
The allegations come less than a week after Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited India as part of efforts to restore confidence in Australia's international students sector.
The education export sector, which was damaged by a string of violent attacks on Indian students in Sydney and Melbourne earlier this year, is worth $15 billion a year.
Ms Gillard, who is also education minister, discussed the issue last week when she met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as well as her Indian counterpart.
" ... they accepted as representatives of the Indian government that Australia had appropriately responded to support Indian students when they're in this country," Ms Gillard told ABC Radio on Monday.
But allegations brought to light by Overseas Students Support Network Australia are likely to undermine Ms Gillard's efforts.
The group's executive director, Robert Palmer, told ABC Radio of instances where colleges have threatened to tear up a student's confirmation of enrolment if they didn't agree to pay additional fees.
The enrolment confirmations are needed to secure a visa.
One student complained he was attending classes but being marked as absent in an attempt to extract more money for tuition.
"Even though I was attending classes I was being marked absent by staff so I then asked for a letter of release but they refused to give me one unless I paid an advance semester fee of $4,200," a statement from the student said.
He said he was then asked to pay more.
"I was told I was being reported to immigration," he said in his statement.
Mr Palmer said he had fielded serious complaints from at least 1,500 students since the start of the year.
He said students were commonly tricked and ripped off, with some being placed in courses they did not enrol for and threatened with deportation if they did not agree to pay extra money or pay in advance.
"We've had a student come that was supposed to be enrolled in a nursing course turn up at the college ... placed in a hairdressing course instead."
