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Layers of officialdom compound student failures
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 July 2009
Concerns about the quality of Australia's international education are well founded ("Education looks shoddy again", The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 July 2009).
Evidence of recent failures in the private sector suggests too many colleges have been admitting too many students, demonstrating that the lure of money can outweigh concerns for quality, student support, financial guarantees for students and, most importantly, the impact on Australia's reputation as a destination for international students.
While the private sector has chased shopping baskets of international students, the TAFE sector has continued to enrol responsibly, ensuring that campus resources, student support services, work placement and quality delivery match growth in student numbers - either domestic or international. It is a lesson others may like to adopt.
But reform is still needed at the policy level. Effective regulation and control is hindered by confusing layers of bureaucracy. As an example, consider the issue of incoming students. The Education Services for Overseas Students Act, which outlines the required standards for international students, is administered by the federal Education Department, and the Immigration Department issues and regulates student visas.
Yet these decisions bear little relationship to vocational education regulators in states and territories. It is these agencies that license college registration (under the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students), including a provider's capability. If a provider's capacity is limited and is noted, this information rarely reaches the federal Education and Immigration departments, and visas continue to be issued.
Last week's review by Skills Australia of governance on vocational education rightly pointed to overturning years of regulatory duplication, starting with a streamlined national regime.
Martin Riordan
chief executive
TAFE Directors Australia
Woden (ACT)
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