Universities deny problems with international student visas

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By Leith van Onselen

Hot on the heels of Dr Bob Birrell’s damning report on Australia’s ballooning international student trade, and the erosion of education standards, universities have come out swinging, denying there are problems. From The Australian:

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the English language standards set for international students were similar to those in the US and Britain, and overseas students at academic institutions in Australia had similar success in completing their studies compared with local students.

Ms Jackson said Department of Education data showed student success rates at 86 per cent for international students and 84 per cent for domestic students.

“International education is about strengthening ties with our region and being part of the ­global community,” she said. “When international students choose to study in Australia, they build relationships with our students and our country that last a lifetime.”

Lies, damned lies and statistics.

As shown by the Australian Population Research Institute, Non-English-Speaking-Countries (NESC) represented 84% of overseas born persons aged 25-34 who held degree or above level qualifications at the time of the 2016 Census. Alarmingly, only 24% of the NESC group were employed as professionals as of 2016, compared with 50% of MainEnglish-Speaking-Countries (MESC) and 58% of the same aged Australian-born graduates:

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Moreover, problems with NESC international students have been well known for years.

For example, four years ago ABC’s Four Corners ran a detailed report, entitled “Degrees of Deception”, which uncovered rampant cheating and plagiarism across Australia’s universities by international students, as well as the deep erosion of standards:

Four Corners investigation has unearthed alarming new evidence of a decline in academic standards at institutions around the country.

Lecturers and tutors are grappling with a tide of academic misconduct and pressure from faculty managers to pass weak students. Many say commercial imperatives are overtaking academic rigour.

But why is this happening?…

Right now the country’s 40 universities are pulling in billions of dollars from students who are desperate for a degree from an Australian university and the possibility of a job and permanent residency.

But to ensure a steady flow of students from overseas, universities have had to ensure their entry requirements are sufficiently low…

Academics are under pressure to pass students, irrespective of their ability, in order to keep revenue from overseas students flowing in… very few university employees can openly acknowledge these problems. Those who do, say that they face the possibility they will lose their job…

This week, reporter Linton Besser also provides alarming evidence of corruption among the network of overseas agents who tout for business on universities’ behalf.

“The risk is they’re going to put applicants through to the university with fake qualifications or who they know have cheated on tests, or who are trying to undertake some sort of visa fraud.” – Corruption investigator

Ironically, these forces are also placing international students under enormous pressure.

Despite the promises of agents, and after meeting universities’ entry requirements, many don’t have the level of English needed to successfully undertake a degree course.

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Four Corners’ report was ignored entirely by Australia’s policy makers. And since it aired four years ago, international student numbers have ballooned to around half a million:

Standards have also continued to slip.

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An ABC investigation last year “uncovered an abundance of international students who describe struggling to communicate effectively in English, participate in class, or complete assignments adequately”. Various academics, employers and education experts also told the ABC that “English language standards are often too low or can be sidestepped via loopholes, and that students are often put in stressful classroom situations that can lead to cheating”.

Earlier this year, the Victorian Government called for a review of university entry requirements amid concerns that international students with limited English are struggling to keep pace with their Australian peers:

Premier Daniel Andrews has written a letter to the National Tertiary Education Union promising to take up the issue of English entry standards with the federal government.

Acting Minister for Higher Education James Merlino said the situation was unfair on international students and teachers.

“International students are a vital part of Victoria’s education system but it’s concerning that some students are enrolled in courses without adequate English language skills to complete them,” he said.

Academics, tutors and students say some international students are struggling to understand instructions in class, complete assignments and communicate with other students.

They say English standards have been set too low and can be bypassed by enrolling in bridging courses.

The very next day, university academics “inundated” Fairfax with complaints that they are being forced to pander to international students with limited English:

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Academics say they feel pressured to pass struggling international students as concerns grow about universities enrolling students with little English.

One scholar said this “moral and ethical quandary” was behind his decision to leave Australia and find work overseas.

“Once international student enrolment in our course surpassed 50 per cent, there was significant pressure to pass work which we would not have only a few years prior,” he said.

“Beyond the fact that no academic wants to fail a student, failing a significant proportion of a class reflects poorly on the teaching staff and the program.”

He is among more than 60 academics, tutors, students and parents who inundated The Age on Wednesday with their concerns about the inadequate English skills of some international students.

Even the international student association admits there are deep problems, calling for action against widespread cheating to get into Australian university:

International student associations are calling for more regulation of overseas migration agents as they reveal cheating on English tests required for Australian universities can be common practice.

The test is taken before a student is granted a visa and accepted into a tertiary education institution.

The ABC spoke to one international student, Maria Shumusti, who said she knew at least five students who had cheated.

Ms Sharmusti was previously the public relations officer with Council of International Students Australia.

Australian Federation of International Students former president, Pratik Ambani, also suspected some students were guilty of cheating and believed it was a common practice overseas.

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Clearly there are deep problems within the university system that necessitate thorough investigation.

Therefore, one of the first orders of business for the incoming federal government should be to engage the Productivity Commission to undertake a warts-and-all inquiry into Australia’s bloated international student trade. This would provide Australians with a transparent analysis of the costs and benefits from this program.

As an aside, I discussed the issue yesterday on Radio 2GB:

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.