Facing the facts

There has recently been much spoken and written about the possible exploitation of some of Australia’s international students, and the Overseas Students’ Support Network Australia (OSSNA) believes that the senior management of less than 10% of private Registered Training Organisations is undermining the relationship building, excellent work, and outstanding results achieved by others in the education and training sector.

In some quarters there is a total denial of any problems or issues involving international students, but the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission, the Overseas Student Education Experience Taskforce (Victoria), the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), OSSNA, and a considerable number of private Registered Training Organisations, believe that swift and substantial action is required.

Lyn Glover, CEO of the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) and Andrew Smith, CEO of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) continue to ignore urgent issues. The VRQA and ACPET have constantly refused to acknowledge that problems exist, and even now seem to avoid any positive action to address the true situation. Six months to begin a ‘rapid audit’ of ‘at risk providers’ and a further three months to report on the ‘rapid audit’ does not seem to address the urgency of the situation.

Now when any situation is researched, we must reject any idea that contradicts an absolute fact. We must suspend belief in any method of evaluation incapable of establishing absolute fact and leave no room for pseudo-rational arguments or pretentious illusions.

Here are the absolute facts:

Fact 1

In recent times, Australia has sustained a significant increase in the numbers of overseas students choosing to study here, with the numbers growing from 73,000 in 2002 to over 150,000 in 2008.

Fact 2

In the State of Victoria the post secondary education sector is comprised of: l 18 public Technical And Further Education Institutions (including four TAFE divisions within universities) l 1,345 registered private Registered Training Organisations (RTO) l 10 universities and 59 approved providers of higher education (which includes 5 TAFE)

Fact 3

Approximately 50,000 international students live in Melbourne, which has almost 4 million residents from over 140 nations. 45 per cent of Victoria’s community is either born overseas or has at least one parent born overseas. More than 150 different languages are spoken in Victoria.

Fact 4

The recent report by the Overseas Student Education Experience Taskforce (Victoria) stated “International education is having an increasingly important impact on Victoria –not only as a rapidly growing and significant part of the Victorian economy, providing direct economic benefits through export income and employment opportunities, but also enriching the community in many ways. If Victoria is to continue to grow its involvement in international education, it is essential that overseas students not only gain the educational outcomes that they are seeking but also enjoy the overall experience of being here.

Fact 5

In order to continue the success of Victoria’s overseas education sector, to continue to attract high quality overseas students and to continue to benefit from the enhanced cultural diversity that overseas students bring to Victoria, it is imperative that on offer to them are the highest standards in teaching and learning experience, facilities and student support.

Fact 6

Public perceptions, both domestically and overseas, of overseas students’ safety and welfare, highlighted in recent media articles however, have the potential to deter new students from choosing Victoria as their preferred destination for study and research.

Fact 7

The ability to interact freely and closely with local students and others is a core component of the overseas student experience. There are many factors currently working against this happening as well as it should. These range from the way some classes and institutions are organised through to a student’s lack of time because of significant academic and employment demands, and their perceived command of the English language.

Fact 8

International students feel more comfortable among people from similar backgrounds, nationality language etc. so tend to find accommodation among a type of micro community. This leads to the possible formation of largely closed communities where students from the same countries or cultural background remain insular and disconnected from the wider community due to language and cultural differences which diminishes the student experience.

Fact 9

A number of submissions to the Overseas Student Education Experience Taskforce raised issues concerning education agents. Evidence also provided by overseas students and their families at course registration and/ or orientation stages suggests that there are a growing number of incidences where the information provided by agents is not complete, and in some cases misleading, which can lead students to having unrealistic expectations or at worst may lead to them being placed at risk of exploitation.

Fact 10

Ensuring the quality of the educational experience is critical to the continued success of the international education sector in Victoria. The vast majority of students come to Victoria in order to gain the knowledge and skills that will enable them to pursue their chosen careers so it is vital for the industry as a whole that the quality of courses offered and delivered meets the highest standards. An effective and responsive quality control process is therefore required, recognising that Victoria’s reputation for quality is hard won and can be easily tarnished.

Fact 11

The Fair Trading Act 1999 Act No. 16/1999 regarding false representations in relation to goods and services states, “A person must not, in trade or commerce, in connection with the supply or possible supply of goods or services or in connection with the promotion or advertising by any means of the supply or use of goods or servicesl make a false or misleading representation with respect to the price of goods or services; or l make a representation that is false, misleading or deceptive in any material particular.”

Fact 12

Regarding false representations in relation to employment, the Act states “A person must not, in relation to employment that is to be, or may be, offered by the person or by another person, engage in conduct that is liable to mislead persons seeking the employment as to the availability, nature, terms or conditions of, or any other matter relating to, the employment.” So why are some overseas education agents contracted to Australian Registered Training Organisations permitted to operate in ways that do not uphold the actual words, and spirit, of the Fair Trading Act?

Fact 13

In regard to harassment and coercion the Fair Trading Act states “A person must not use physical force or undue harassment or coercion in connection with the supply or possible supply of goods or services to another person or the payment for goods or services by another person.” Why are some Registered Training Organisations permitted to pressurise students into making advance payments for upcoming semesters, and also to withhold services, unit or course results until these advance payments are made? International students have every right to feel frustrated.

Joan McPhee, RMIT PhD student, in Privately Owned Registered Training Organisations in Victoria – Diversity as an Emerging Theme, observed: l “The interviews raised a wide range of issues and uncovered diverse perceptions and opinions. Not all of these could be considered reasonable or entirely wellinformed – but they show private training providers have concerns with the system.” l “Another emergent theme concerns the negative attitude expressed regarding the extent of support received from the Office of Training and Tertiary Education (now the VRQA). Comments were made such as government would like to have private RTOs disappear.” l “Concern was expressed by many of those interviewed about the lack of support .... More importantly perhaps, criticism was made by national companies about the lack of uniform and/or consistent treatment of their training operations in different States.

We must all consider genuine ‘absolute facts’ when deciding ‘what’ to believe about the standards of education and training available to local and international students in Australia.

When others offer constructive criticism, it usually means they want us to do even better than we already do and are not afraid to offer us helpful feedback. Because we are not afraid of making mistakes, we welcome constructive feedback. While our first reaction might be blushing, anger, feeling misunderstood or chastised, we may eventually see the underlying benefits of the message.

By looking constructively at how we could have done something better, we may discover new ways to help us improve our performance.

There are many positive stories to be told – but these stories must not be sullied by the small percentage of ‘shonky operators’ in the industry who care little about education, and even less about the welfare and ambitions of international students and their families.

The government has begun an ambitious programme to wire up the entire northeast and remote border regions with telecom, wimax and broadband connectivity and unleash an IT revolution in the region, says Minister of State for IT and Communications Sachin Pilot.

“I believe that the northeast can become a big centre for attracting investments from the private sector - in business process outsourcing (BPOs), knowledge process outsourcing,” Pilot, 32 said during an exclusive interaction at the IANS office.

“Young people there have a lot of talent and are easier to train and impart skills to for this kind of work. If we can have rural BPOs then I am sure we can have BPOs in the northeast,” he added.

A bulk of the money under what is called universal service obligation fund, collected by the government from private players to meet the demands of rural connectivity, will be deployed in the northeast, he said.

At the start of this fiscal, more than Rs.18,000 crore ($3.6 billion) was available under this fund.

On a mission to do a “lot more” in the northeast that “has not been done so far”, Pilot said Assam, for example, will see optical fibre cables laid across the state - seen as a must for large data transfers required by such service providers.

“We are launching optical fibre cables at the panchayat level in Assam soon. This will be the first state in India to have it,” Pilot said, adding Wimax services had already been unveiled there last month.

“We launched Wimax in Chaygaon, on the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam. It’s a wireless, high speed internet broadband connectivity - such that people living in a radius of 15 kilometres can access the internet easily,” he said.

Moving beyond Assam, Pilot said the government is also planning a software parks project at Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, which will be an export-oriented scheme for developing computer software and extending related professional services.

“I have already met the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh. We are hoping to start this project soon. The state will then have a lot more money from the government of India, which it can’t afford now,” he said. India’s northeastern region covers the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

Pilot said he is also planning to give the satellite phone facilities to villages in the northeast, which are cut off from others due to their location, along with a muchsubsidised tariff.

“There are some places of Arunachal

Pradesh, which are 12,000 feet to 14,000 feet high - no spectrum, no mobile phones. Therefore, besides the paramilitary forces, I am trying to give satellite phones to these villages and reduce the call charges,” he said.

In Sikkim, Pilot said, the IT ministry has helped in the setting up of a small business process unit and launched 3G services through the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.

“The chief minister of Sikkim wanted to set up a 50-seat unit through an entrepreneur. So, we not only gave them connectivity but also gave it to them at one-fourth the cost. We also launched 3G services there,” the minister said.

“I want that all the states of the northeast to feel as involved in what’s happening in New Delhi and Mumbai in terms of new innovative ideas.”

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Delhi Metro said it was making special arrangements to facilitate passengers’ movement at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium station during the Commonwealth Games beginning Oct 3.

“We are making special arrangements at the Stadium Metro station from opening of the Games Oct 3 to closing ceremony