Because of its proximity, Australia has grown increasingly popular among Chinese students who want an international education. Despite the strict COVID-related lockdown measures imposed by Australia, interest has remained very strong. One of the many reasons is how the Australian government supported all Chinese international students during the pandemic.
“During the pandemic, we had students who were in China and could not return to our campus. So, we set up Overseas Learning Centers to allow our students to take their courses but in the campus of one of our Chinese university partners,” said Western Australia Business School Dean Peter Robertson.
In these challenging times, other Australian universities established similar arrangements to accommodate its Chinese students.
“Our students can obtain their degrees from certain campuses in China. We also have articulation partnerships, wherein students can do two years in China and two years in Australia and after which they get joint degrees in the end,” at the end of that period,” said University of Canberra Director of Global Student Recruitment Mike Ferguson.
Meanwhile, the Australian government and its universities are working to find a way to welcome back international students without compromising the health and safety of its residents. Last December, as part of a pilot scheme, Sydney allowed entry to 250 international students to revive the education sector.
Plans to fly in a second group of students from Asia to Sydney are in the pipeline. However, the rest of Australia remains closed to foreign travelers.
“It is important that we keep our lines of communication open, that we continue to travel to each other’s countries, and that students from China can come to Australia safely,” stressed Aranmore Catholic College Principal Declan Tanham.
