Students in India get support from SA amid new warnings over education economy blow

Adelaide uni students working from India are getting help from SA amid new warnings of a crushing blow about to hit the state’s education system.

Students enrolled at Adelaide University but working online from India are being given medical and counselling support from South Australia.

The student services team has been offering telehealth advice from doctors and other professionals, pro-vice-chancellor international Jacqueline Lo said.

“We’re providing academic, welfare and, where possible, healthcare support,” she said.

Adelaide has 886 students from India, the second-biggest source country after China. Of those, 201 are abroad, unable to get to Adelaide because of travel restrictions.

Adelaide University pro-vice-chancellor international Jacqueline Lo.

The coronavirus crisis in India will exacerbate uncertainty on when international students can travel here.

Already, vice-chancellors warn SA’s economic recovery will be dealt a crushing blow if the $2bn a year revenue stream dries up.

It was a concern “not just for universities but for the broader community”, Flinders University vice-chancellor Colin Stirling said.

“The longer we delay their return, the slower the state’s economic recovery will be,” he said.

Flinders University has about 100 of its 500 Indian students studying abroad. Support services are available 24/7 and have been increased throughout the pandemic.

India is also one of the most important source countries for UniSA.

“Many of our Indian students here are being affected by the situation back home,” UniSA vice-chancellor David Lloyd said.

Counselling and assistance from the UniSA medical clinic was being provided according to individual need, including financial help, reduction in workload or temporary leave, Prof Lloyd said.

On the impact of travel bans, he said: “The damage done in 2020 is growing more acute in 2021 and will compound into 2022.”

The loss of revenue was “quite stark” for unis but not just a university-only problem.

A national report by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute estimated the $40bn sector would shrink by $13.5bn this year, worsening to a $19.8bn contraction by the end of 2022.

Loss of the students’ spending on rent, food, travel and entertainment would ripple through the economy, the report said.

SA was given approval last November for a trial to bring back 300 students but it stalled. To revive the sector, SA needs to submit a management plan to the Federal Government but has yet to take that step.

Premier Steven Marshall said SA was “keen” to get students back “as quickly but as safely as possible”.

“The Federal Government has made it clear that these must be done outside the normal caps and so we’re continuing to look at different sites for this,” he said.

SA had successfully brought in Pacific Islanders to work in the Riverland.

“We’ll do exactly the same, find a site which is secure, it’s safe for our international students,” Mr Marshall said.

“They make an enormous contribution to our economy.”

However, safety of SA residents was the priority.

Prof Lo said as well as students, Adelaide University has many academic staff who have family in India.

“Nobody is untouched – everyone has a father, an uncle, aunt or cousin who passed away,” she said.

Students in Adelaide were under stress, stretched across time zones as they stay in contact with loved ones at home while keeping up with uni work, leading to an increase in compassionate case extensions for assignments.

She urged people to “be kind” to international students, especially those from India.