Nigerian students and other international students will have to devise a new way to make their studies cheaper in Australia The one loophole exploited by students to remain in the country through cheaper studies is now closed. The government is also set to increase the savings international students need to obtain a student visa.
Elom Sunday, a public affairs analyst, spoke on the strict policies against international students globally in recent times and their implications for Nigerians.
The Australian government has announced plans to close the loophole international students, including Nigerians, use for cheaper studies. Before now, international students were allowed to undertake additional courses alongside their core studies called the “concurrent study” rule. This was designed to help prepare the students for the job market through short courses.
However, the Australian government said many students were misusing the rule to ditch their university courses and permanently switch to cheaper courses.
“This change will work to stop predatory ‘second’ providers from enrolling students before they have studied for the required six months at their first provider,” Reuters reports that there has been a sharp uptake in the use of the concurrent study, with 17,000 concurrent enrolments created in the first half of 2023 versus 10,500 for the same period in 2019 and 2022 combined.
The Australian minister also revealed that the government is increasing the savings international students need to get a student visa. From October 1, 2023, international students will need to show evidence of A$24,505 (About N12.10 million) in savings, a 17% increase from about N10 million.
She noted that International education is Australia’s fourth-largest export industry, and maintaining the sector’s integrity was critical for the country’s economy.
Elom Sunday, a policy analyst, said the fact that countries are now adopting stricter admission policies for international students shows Nigeria must develop its key sectors. This, he said, will discourage the scourge of people leaving the country in droves to seek greener pastures abroad. He said: “It is simple. It is not racism or hatred for the individuals involved but hatred and tiredness of accommodating people who have all it takes to be as or better than the countries they run to en mass where shortly after they are granted entry, they subdue, outshine and almost take over the economy of the countries.
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