Australian universities

China cautions students about ‘racist incidents’ during coronavirus pandemic if they return to Australia

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Asia/ China/ 09.06.2020/ Source: www.abc.net.au.

 

China’s Education Bureau has taken the rare step of warning Chinese students about studying in Australia when campuses are set to resume classes in July due to «racist incidents» during the coronavirus pandemic.

In its statement, the education ministry reminded «overseas students to conduct a good risk assessment and be cautious about choosing to go to Australia or return to Australia to study.»

The notice also warned students that coronavirus still presents a risk if they plan to resume their studies overseas.

There are more Chinese students at Australian universities than from any other overseas country.

Most international students returned home or were unable to enter Australia when the Federal Government banned travel from several countries, including China, in February.

About 1.5 million university students are expected to be back on campus in July to resume face-to-face tutorials.

But the Chinese Education Bureau’s notice, which has been published widely in Chinese state media, warns students about «racist incidents against Asians» during the coronavirus crisis.

In response to the announcement, Education Minister Dan Tehan rejected the assertion that Australia is unsafe for international students.

«Australia is a popular destination for international students because we are a successful, multicultural society that welcomes international students and provides a world-class education,» he said in a statement to the ABC.

«Our success at flattening the [coronavirus] curve means we are one of the safest countries in the world for international students to be based in right now.»

Chinese students say they have faced discrimination

Two Chinese students already studying in Sydney told the ABC the Education Bureau’s warning would not have any effect on their study plans.

«I’ve heard of racist incidents but I haven’t been out much during the pandemic so personally I haven’t been affected,» said Sydney University student Yu Yan.

Another student based in Hobart, Michelle Ren also had heard of recent racism but hadn’t personally been affected.

«It’s not common, it’s very few people who do that and very few who experience that,» she said.

«But I have a lot of friends and family in China who are worried. They ask me what the real situation is in Australia.

«They are quite worried. The relationship between China and Australia is not that good so it might negatively affect students thinking about coming here.»

China also warned tourists to stay away from Australia

The relationship between Australia and China appears to have shifted in the last few months after the Federal Government proposed an international inquiry into how the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan.

Since then, China has since imposed tariffs on some Australian imports, including barley.

This is the second Chinese Government agency in a week to warn citizens about Australia.

The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a travel alert to its citizens on June 6 about the dangers of travelling to Australia due to a «significant increase» in racist attacks on «Chinese and Asian people».

«Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial discrimination and violence against Chinese and Asian people in Australia have seen a significant increase,» the statement said.

On a bright blue day, you see an Asian woman in bright pink take a selfie in front of one of the Sydney Opera House sails.
Chinese tourists have been warned against travel to Australia due to «racist» incidents against Asians during the pandemic.(Reuters: David Munoz)

But Australian Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the Chinese Government’s claims about the dangers for tourists were false.

«We reject China’s assertions in this statement, which have no basis in fact,» he said.

«Australia is enjoying world-leading success in suppressing the spread of COVID-19 and, when the health advice allows, we look forward to again welcoming visitors from all backgrounds to our safe and hospitable nation.»

There have been reports of people of Asian appearance experiencing increased racism in the wake of COVID-19.

In April, two Melbourne University students were allegedly verbally abused and physically assaulted after a pair of women screamed «coronavirus» at them and told them to get out of the country.

The two warnings from government agencies come as China launches a propaganda blitz through its state media, lashing Australia for its «attitude» towards China.

China’s nationalistic tabloid, The Global Times, has led the way, with frequent articles putting all blame for the deteriorating ties on Australia.

It has cited everything from Australian concerns about the political situation in Hong Kong and the South China Sea to banning Huawei from 5G and more recently calling for an independent inquiry into coronavirus.

Source of the news: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-09/china-warns-students-not-to-return-to-australia-after-coronaviru/12337044

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China to relax its internet restrictions for 100,000 students hit by Australia’s coronavirus travel ban

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Asia/ China/ 18.02.2020/ Source: www.theguardian.com.

China has agreed to relax its internet restrictions, after lobbying from the higher education sector, so international students can study online while they are banned from Australia during the coronavirus outbreak.

Currently more than 100,000 Chinese students, who already have Australian student visas and were planning on commencing their studies this month, are stranded outside of Australia as a result of the government’s 14-day travel ban from mainland China.

On Wednesday, Australia’s Global Reputation Taskforce – an emergency council of universities and education providers – met with education minister Dan Tehan and trade minister Simon Birmingham to discuss how they could limit the potential $8bn hit to the economy.

Phil Honeywood, the chair of the taskforce, told Guardian Australia the ministers had secured new pathways for online courses – which would let isolated students keep their Australian enrolments.

But he warned that a visa approval freeze means Australia could “absolutely lose out” to competitors as Chinese students could easily “go down the road” and obtain student visas for the US, the UK or Canada instead.

The government has not yet announced if the travel ban will be extended by another fortnight, but education providers are “not optimistic” and preparing for the worst.

Honeywood, who is also the head of the International Education Association of Australia, said internet restrictions would be lifted for students, so they could reach university portals for lecture recordings and slides, among other sites.

“There have been challenges over many years with online learning into China but the Chinese government has acknowledged that a more effectual arrangement is appropriate because of the isolation,” he said.

“We’ve been able to make good progress on online learning options into China. There have been really worthwhile negotiations with the Chinese embassy. A number of platforms have been agreed to to deliver online courses to students who are offshore still.

“Not all courses will be suited to online delivery. There will be issues with which units of study can be provided, for what period of time. [But] it is definitely a better situation than we were facing a couple of weeks ago.”

But the universities are concerned that new visa delays, combined with the travel ban, mean Australia could lose out to other countries.

New student visa approvals have been frozen by the department of home affairs since 1 February, even for students who have already been accepted by Australian universities.

Acting immigration minister Alan Tudge confirmed to the Australian that the department was “not finalising applications for individuals currently in mainland China” due to “enhanced border measures”.

International students contributed $34bn to the Australian economy last year. Australia’s main competitors for Chinese students, Canada, the US and the UK run on a different academic year, starting in September, meaning they are less disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak this year.

“The issue we have got is visas allegedly bring processed but not approved,” Honeywood said.

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. If you’re a student, and you can’t get an Australian student visa to travel, any time you can go down the road to the Canadian embassy or the US embassy and they are still happily approving visas.

“Chinese students, even if they can’t travel to Australia now, once they have been given a student visa to come and study in Australia, they can once the virus is contained.

“But because no visas have been approved, they are thinking ‘How long is this going on for? Even when the virus is contained, I can’t come to Australia to study because of the whole visa process. I’ll go to Canada and the UK and delay my start date.’”

Honeywood said education minister Tehan was working with immigration minister Tudge “to get some clarification about what might be possible in that visa approval space”.

Meanwhile, individual universities are also offering alternate course schedules for affected students. Melbourne’s Monash University has already pushed back the start date of its semester by a week, while the ANU in Canberra has announced a semester during the traditional winter break to allow Chinese students to catch up on courses.

Other universities, such as the University of New South Wales, have recently changed to a trimester system, and are encouraging students to defer their enrolment to the next trimester, which starts around the beginning of June.

Honeywood said the universities “have to abide by the chief medical officer’s determination” on the length of the travel ban, but that Australia’s higher education sector was uniquely vulnerable to the delay.

“More than other study destination country, we are caught by geographic location and the fact that our academic year starts at the start of the calendar year,” he said.

“Whereas our main competitors, like Canada, the US and UK, their academic year doesn’t start until later, in September. They aren’t faced with a large influx of Chinese students wanting to commence studies until later this year. Australia and New Zealand are in a particular set of circumstances which no other competitor study destinations have.”

Source of the notice: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/13/china-to-open-up-its-internet-for-100000-students-hit-by-australias-coronavirus-travel-ban

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Australian universities play the long game in Indonesia

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Oceania/ Australia/ 08.04.2019/ Source: www.universityworldnews.com.

 

Now that the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) has been signed, Australia’s training sector has an opportunity to build on a small base.

Indonesia’s young and expanding population, its geographic proximity and its steady economic trajectory towards the top 10 global economies by 2030 make it a key market for Australia.

Indonesia’s need for education and training opportunities is large and growing. Indonesian authorities recognise the growing skills gap in the economy and the increasing percentage of the workforce that is undereducated. The nation’s long-term economic prospects will reflect how well the country deals with this significant challenge.

To succeed, Indonesia will need to partner with others.

Due to many factors, including geography, history, reputation and other institutional alignments, Australian education and training providers are exceptionally well placed to partner with Indonesia in achieving its education and training goals.

Growing skills need

Indonesia’s education and training needs are massive. Its demographic profile is its advantage. With a young population where half are under 30, and about 67 million are between the ages of 15 and 24 years old, it is the third largest adolescent group in the world, after India and China.

Its population is not only young but becoming more urban. Deloitte consultancy predicts that Indonesia’s city dwellers aged 15 to 29 will total 41 million by 2025.

While its young and urban population is its advantage, the scale of its skills needs is its economic disadvantage. Two aspects stand out: size and quality. Indonesia needs more skilled workers.

To address this, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has set an ambitious goal of adding 57 million skilled workers by 2030.

To meet this goal and keep up with industrial growth, the Ministry of Manpower conservatively estimates that it will need to double its current output of graduates, adding a further 3.8 million skilled workers annually.

The extent of the skills and training needed to drive the desired improvements in knowledge, competence and capability is the other aspect of Indonesia’s disadvantage. The lack of quality human capital poses a significant challenge to the country’s economic and growth aspirations.

Despite successful efforts by the government to improve access to education, local institutions continue to struggle to deliver the types of graduates the country needs. Two-thirds of companies surveyed by the World Bank in 2014 say finding qualified employees for professional and managerial positions is either difficult or very difficult.

Almost 70% of manufacturing employers say they struggle to find skilled engineers.

Taking a longer-term view

Australia is a favoured destination for young Indonesians looking to study abroad. It attracts over a quarter of total outbound numbers, nearly 20,000 students, to its universities, technical and further education (TAFE) institutions and schools.

There are even a handful of Australian education and training providers already active in Indonesia. Some are succeeding. Some are at an early stage of business development. The ones that are succeeding use creative approaches to deliver programmes.

A few of them concentrate their activities on engaging government agencies by offering training solutions or niche policy consulting. Some have chosen to only deal with industry because it is relatively easier and issues of funding are less of a concern.

There are others that seek to partner locally in various ways to deliver programmes directly to students.

TAFE Queensland, for example, has been successful in turning government relationships into commercial outcomes. Over the last eight years, they have capitalised on Australian government schemes that build strategic links into key ministries, allowing them to deliver commercial programmes.

Holmesglen TAFE in Victoria has a fledgling partnership with Universitas Muhammadiyah, an extensive network of institutions, where they offer an accredited practical English programme in a purpose-built language centre near Jakarta.

Monash University’s partnership with a local provider has been offering a pathway programme since 1994. Students undertake pre-university programmes in Indonesia and then move to Australia for parts of their undergraduate degree.

These institutions have some things in common:

 

  • • They have all been in Indonesia for a decade or longer.
  • • They are building reputation, credibility and relationships.
  • • They have taken the time to find the right partner and get the right model of partnership working.

Institutionally, they have taken a ‘whole of institution’ approach – all parts of the organisation working in unison. They have also developed appropriate business models, invested in people and resources, formed ‘win-win’ partnership structures and, more importantly, visited the country many times.

IA-CEPA opens up new opportunities for Australian education and training. These opportunities should be seen as a long game. It will take more than five years before any benefits will flow. But the time to look in-depth at education and training opportunities for Australian providers is now.

Indeed, the recently signed agreement provides a valuable boost to potential interest.

 

Source of the notice: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20190314124305690

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Australia: Economy relies on China as international students prop up our universities

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Oceania/ Australia/ 17.10.2018/ Source: www.news.com.au.

IT WAS 3.30pm as I waited at a popular Melbourne cafe in the heart of the city. I had arranged to meet Xing Wu, a 32-year-old Chinese international student from the Fujian Province in the southeast of China.

I had arrived early — enough time to sit back and watch pedestrian traffic. I couldn’t help but notice the high levels of young Asian students streaming past to Central Station, across the road from the city campus of RMIT.

When Xing arrived, I offered the traditional Western greeting of a handshake and a hello. In return, he offered me the traditional Chinese custom of a gift — in this case a sweet Chinese berry drink, bought from one of Melbourne’s ever-increasing supply of Asian specialty stores.

I had arranged to speak with Xing to better understand his experience. Why study here?

Why travel thousands of kilometres and pay exorbitant fees? In Xing’s case, he has paid around $64,000 for a two-year accounting course.

His response was surprisingly simple and relatable: “I wanted to experience the outside world. Away from the Chinese regional life where my father works as a public servant and my mother who is a retired factory worker.”

When discussing his studies, Xing laments the hardest part of his course is the high level of English proficiency required.

While he had hoped to improve his English here, one of the biggest challenges is that he’s just one of thousands of other Chinese students in Australia. He’s much more likely to speak Mandarin in his day-to-day interactions than English.

“There were so many Chinese students in the class, everyone reverted back to speaking it together.”

Xing’s insight isn’t surprising. He is just one of 187,547 Chinese International Students who were enrolled to study in Australia in 2017-18.

Education is Australia’s third largest export after iron ore and coal, other industries heavily reliant on the Chinese purchasing power.

It’s a statistic that worries Peter Jennings. He was a senior adviser for strategic policy in the Howard government, and he’s now executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think tank focused on international relations and defence.

“Australian Universities are overly reliant on Chinese international students, causing an unhealthy dependence from catering to this market” Mr Jennings said.

“This (over-reliance) has left many universities highly vulnerable to either a natural reduction in Chinese students, or at the potential whim of the Chinese Government.”

While that sounds alarmist, Mr Jennings believes there’s sinister activity already occurring.

“There have been cases of Chinese students reporting back to the Chinese Embassy on fellow students that have not followed Beijing rhetoric.”

“It is a possible scenario that China could ban their students from attending Australian Universities over a diplomatic row.”

Mr Jennings believes Australian universities need to cap the number of students they accept from each country, in order to avoid being overly reliant on one economy.

“Australian universities need to stop being so greedy. The ongoing obsession of universities to continue to expand enrolments from international students needs to stop. If this results in a reduction of revenue, that is the price that needs to be paid.”

This year there are nearly 200,000 Chinese students studying in Australia. Picture: The Department of Education and Training

This year there are nearly 200,000 Chinese students studying in Australia. Picture: The Department of Education and TrainingSource:Supplied

While a worst-case scenario of a full withdrawal of Chinese nationals enrolled in Australian universities might appear far-fetched, there have been recent examples of

serious push back from the Chinese Government over international disagreements.

One example that has caused South Korea pain is Seoul’s agreement to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system to counter military threats from North Korea.

Beijing countered this decision by putting in place a consumer boycott of certain products. Hyundai in particular was hurt badly. Sales dropped by 64 per cent in the second quarter of 2017.

The company’s own research institute said this led to a revenue loss of $21 billion.

Australia has also felt the threat from Beijing in recent years.

When former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull attempted to introduce laws that would have banned foreign political donations, required registration of lobbyists, and strengthened anti-espionage laws the blow back from Beijing was swift — despite

the idea being blocked in parliament.

In the following weeks Australia was voted “the most unfriendly country” to China in 2017 in a poll of about 14,000 Chinese citizens conducted by the tabloidGlobal Times(owned by the People’s Daily).

MORE: Tensions rise as Chinese Government’s influence infiltrates Aussie universities

But Universities Australia deputy chief executive Catriona Jackson doesn’t think there’s cause for alarm.

“International education has been a huge success story for Australia — one that has been built up deliberately and strategically over the past 60 years,” she said.

“Not only does international education bring $32 billion worth of export income to our economy and support 130,000 jobs — it gives Australia access to a future network of business and political leaders and makes an important contribution to Australia’s foreign policy, soft power diplomacy and regional security.”

She dismissed Mr Jennings’s arguments as “a distraction”, confident that the sector would continue to thrive.

Returning to Xing’s story, it’s clear he, along with all other international students, are providing this country with much more than money.

Looking at the stores and restaurants surrounding RMIT, you can see that Melbourne, like many other Australian cities, is changing.

And even if many of the students frequenting those businesses eventually go home to China, we’re making global connections with tomorrow’s leaders, changing the way they think.

Xing sums it up well. After a lifetime of learning in China where he was told to listen and follow, he’s now been taught to “think critically and embrace an independent learning model”. Although he plans to return home to look after his parents, his world view has been impacted for life. And it could affect generations to come.

Source of the notice: https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/economy-relies-on-china-as-international-students-prop-up-our-universities/news-story/6bea7fc2c0c7dbd364346b74722c67df

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Encounters with Asian Decolonisation

David Fettling

By David Fettling

In the YouTube video the young man browses Chinese-language books in a library, practices Chinese calligraphy with careful brushstrokes, introduces himself in Mandarin.

He is 20 years old from southern Sumatra in Indonesia, enrolled at Wuxi Institute of Technology outside Shanghai. He admits learning Mandarin is difficult, but points out it’s now the world’s most-used language, with English relegated to second place.

Other Indonesians studying in China, in other YouTube videos, likewise demonstrate a cultural attraction to the country, emphasising the richness of China’s past, its fast-modernising present, and its hyperpower future.

One Indonesian student remarks how much traditional Chinese architecture remains in Chinese cities: China’s culture is still «murni», or pure, she says.

Another remarks bluntly that China is now «lebih maju», more developed, than Europe, a leader in «teknologi».

Study here, another claims, and you and your country can «bangkit», or awaken, as China has.

Chinese culture, Indonesians note, treats education with great seriousness. One student translates a Chinese expression for «early to sleep, early to rise» into Indonesian, «tidur cepat, bangun cepat» — then adds to it «belajar cepat», quick to study.

Others remark on the «semangat» or spirit, of learning on Chinese campuses, remarking how university libraries are filled with students even on weekends.

Australia has much invested in its ability to attract large numbers of young Asians for tertiary study. The income they bring is increasingly how Australia’s university sector is financed.

Australian institutions want to start drawing more young people from other rising Asian nations, especially India and the ASEAN states: populous, demographically young, and with rapidly expanding middle-classes, they constitute tantalising 21st century markets.

Yet there is increasingly sharp regional competition for where those students choose to study — from China.

Influx of foreign students hits China

South-east Asians and Indians are enrolling in Chinese universities in rapidly increasing numbers.

Roughly 80,000 South-East Asians were studying at Chinese universities in 2016, up 15 per cent from two years before. That includes 14,000 Indonesians (20,000 are in Australia).

Some 18,000 Indians are now at Chinese institutions, more than are in Britain.

China will likely host 500,000 international students before 2020.

One reason for China’s attractiveness is a lower cost of tuition and living — Beijing offers many scholarships, too. But deeper cultural factors are also at work.

Students study in a library at China's Tongji University.PHOTO: Foreign students have remarked how Chinese university libraries are filled with students even on weekends. (Flickr: Matthias Ripp, CC BY 2.0, file photo)

Foreign students enthused by China’s uber-modernity

For centuries people across Asia have been intellectually drawn to China and sought to learn from Chinese practices.

Thousands of agents of the Chinese state have integrated themselves into Australian public life, according to a controversial new book.

China’s 19th century weakness switched emphasis to the West and Japan. But the old pattern was starting to echo again by the mid-20th century when post-colonial Asian nations saw in the newly-proclaimed People’s Republic of China a potential model for their own development.

Indonesian nationalists of that era widely admired the People’s Republic of China as pioneering a new form of Asian modernity. That may be a harbinger of what’s starting — or restarting — now.

Indonesian students in China enthuse about China’s uber-modernity in e-commerce and fast subways; they say studying in China will help them better launch businesses and reduce unemployment back home; and they voicehappiness with the structure and content of their Chinese study programs.

The idea of China as a simultaneously great civilisation, fast-modernising power, and culture conducive to scholarship is attractive to large numbers of young Asians.

International student numbers at Australian universities are currently breaking records. It’s easy to conclude Australia’s position as regional higher education powerhouse is impregnable, that Asian middle classes will always seek their international educations mostly from Western nations.

Such assumptions could soon look as short-sighted as previous ideas of mineral booms lasting forever.

Asian international students in Australia have been voicing increasing dissatisfaction with their educations. Many regret their social isolation: most international students live in a «parallel society» from Australians, often segregated on campuses in international-only dormitories.

Meanwhile, many Chinese institutions, after initially housing international students in separate accommodation, are now moving toward integration of housing and other campus facilities.

Australia has significant advantages in attracting Asia’s best

Tertiary students at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne.PHOTO: Australia is a highly popular university destination for Asian students. (AAP: Julian Smith, file photo)

Asian international students are also increasingly dissatisfied with what they see as Australian universities’ declining quality.

Australian universities have endured four decades of budget cuts with no end in sight, with implications that have not escaped notice on WeChat.

Meanwhile, universities in China have increasingly impressive libraries and laboratories — Indonesians praise Chinese facilities on campuses— and professors with increasingly impressive academic credentials.

Yet Australia has significant comparative advantages in attracting Asia’s best and brightest.

Australia is a liberal democracy in a region that is mostly not: its universities should be naturally superior places for young people who hope to think, write and speak freely, to freely inquire.

A revealing point of irritation among Indonesians experiencing China after their own mostly-free press is China’s internet censorship.

One Indonesian student in China reacted to that aspect of the People’s Republic this way: «Oh my God: seriously?»

Students in China hoping to research «sensitive» topics are often rejected.

China might be seen as more developed because of things like e-commerce, but its e-Stalinism can speedily cancel out the impression.

Our cultural attractiveness is being undermined

Turnbull celebrate Chinese New Year with Australian Chinese Community.PHOTO: The tightening of residency and citizenship requirements is undermining Australia’s cultural attractiveness. (Supplied: Li Jianmin)

And Australia’s stated project of an open, multicultural society, a society that offers international students a chance to fully participate in its workings, either temporarily or permanently as citizens, should have sustained attractiveness — and offer a sustained contrast with more rigid notions in East Asia of who «belongs» and who is an outsider.

Rather than reinforcing those advantages — by revitalising financially-straitened Australian universities, by consolidating its multicultural model — Australia is eroding both.

For years Australia has ignored evidence that its rhetoric of multicultural inclusiveness does not, in practice, extend adequately to Asian international students, many of whom, according to Melbourne University’s Fran Martin, come «full of hopes to learn about and participate in Australian society», yet who often cannot name a single Australian friend when they graduate.

Increased questioning of multiculturalism by government ministers, and tightening of residency and citizenship requirements, is undermining Australia’s cultural attractiveness.

And the persistent downgrading of the place of the university in Australian society — the budget cuts themselves, the commodification and trivialisation of the very concept of university education — inevitably erodes the image of Australia as a place of open, free inquiry, an astute choice of place for people to develop their minds.

Australia has turned its universities into degree factories. Should it be any surprise that China, «the factory of the world», proposes to do that better?

Source of the article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-16/australian-unis-biggest-china-threat-competition-chinese-unis/10117508

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