Hundreds of international students could be flown to NT under new plan by CDU

HUNDREDS of international students could potentially be flown to the NT under a new plan by Charles Darwin University

HUNDREDS of international students could potentially be flown to the NT under a new plan by Charles Darwin University.

The proposal by the university, if successful, would be only the second time international students have been able to return to Australian soil since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

The initial pilot program, completed at the end of November, resulted in the facilitated arrival and quarantine of 63 international students in Darwin with quarantine fees borne by CDU*.

But the latest plan is still in its early stages and is yet to be approved by the NT government.

Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge said the Commonwealth would look at proposals put forward by state and territories if it included quarantine arrangements “above and beyond” what exists.

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The NT’s chief health officer would also need to tick off on the plan before it reached Mr Tudge’s desk.

A spokesman for CDU said “initial plans” were to bring 700 students to Australia in the coming months but flights and quarantine arrangements details were not yet known.

CDU hopes to bring students in from Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

An NT government spokesman said the proposal was still in “early planning stages” and discussions with CDU and the Commonwealth were ongoing.

International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood said the NT government and CDU deserved “full praise” for its leadership in helping students return, particularly in light of the “political intransigence” of other state and territory leaders.

International education was Australia’s fourth largest export, earning the country an estimated $40bn in 2019.

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But international students who are paying exorbitant tuition fees while being unable to come back to Australia are losing patience Mr Honeywood said, and this could impact the reputation of the country’s universities.

“It’s not just about a $40bn per annum industry or the 240,000 jobs associated with it, it’s also an equity issue,” he said.

“In many cases we’ve got overseas students who are four years into a five year medical or engineering degree and pay hundreds of thousands to study here and have been left high and dry and we’ve ruined their hopes of getting a world class qualification from an Australian university.”

*The story originally stated CDU paid for the flights and quarantine costs of the first batch of international students. This is incorrect, CDU paid only for quarantine costs and students paid for their own flight.