Australia: Overseas students 'starved'

APPALLING conditions facing overseas students in Australia, including housing in overcrowded firetraps and abuse by host parents, have been highlighted by a NSW government-appointed task force.

In a rebuff to high-level rhetoric about the importance of engagement with Asia, the International Education and Research Industry Action Plan has found NSW is in danger of losing its appeal as a destination for overseas students. It reports abusive host families, unsafe rental accommodation and expensive public transport, including the claim that students are being underfed by host families.

It also raises concerns about overcrowded rental lodgings and fears about safety when walking home from campuses at night because the students receive no transport subsidies.
The report makes 21 recommendations to stop NSW falling behind the US, Canada and Britain in the competitive market for international students.
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The report, a 10-year development strategy for the international education sector, was created by an industry taskforce formed by the state government last year.
The global demand for international higher education is forecast to grow to 3.7 million students in 2025 from 2.2 million students in 2005 but there has been a downturn in overseas student enrolments in Australia since 2010.

- http://www.smh.com.au