Adelaide Uni VC Peter Hoj says speed critical to return of international students

The return of international students to SA universities requires the swift activation of the state’s hub plan, the Adelaide Uni boss says.

Speed is the key to activate the approved plan of bringing back international students to South Australia, Adelaide University vice-chancellor Peter Hoj says.

“We are very keen to get the students back because it will send an important signal that we care about them,” Professor Hoj said.

“They deserve to come back to be able to finish their education.

“Having the plan approved is not a reason to take the foot off the accelerator pedal, it is a reason to push even harder to make it happen.”

The federal government earlier this month approved SA’s plan to begin flying back international students.

The plan, backed by Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier, will enable 160 students at a time to be quarantined at the Flight Training Adelaide facility in Parafield Airport.

Vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide Peter Hoj. Picture: Mark Brake

Flights will only be allowed when domestic borders are open and the students will not displace any returning residents.

StudyAdelaide chief executive Karyn Kent said some 10,000 students enrolled at SA’s universities were studying remotely from abroad.

Flinders University pro vice-chancellor (international) Sebastian Raneskold said the most urgent were students stranded abroad in February 2020, and enrolled in courses with mandatory clinical placements or practical assessments.

The unis and state government are working through the detail of who would have priority, any changes that are needed at Parafield and costs which must be borne by the students and unis not taxpayers.

The first flight is not expected until about September.

Ms Kent said news of the approval had been well received internationally but there had been no surge in interest and it was too early to say whether more students would now apply to SA.

“Our sense is that students are keen to understand the specifics of the international student return plan before they change their current study plans,” she said.

Premier Steven Marshall regards the international student sector as very significant to the economy.

“There are clear economic benefits for our CBD and our state overall, with every three students leading to the creation of one job – in 2019, almost 20,000 jobs were underpinned by international education, which is massive for our state,” he said.

UniSA vice-chancellor David Lloyd said his institution was “looking forward to working with the government to implement the plan”.

Prof Hoj said “in the first instance, it’s actually about doing the right thing by the students (who can’t complete courses they’ve paid for)”.

Secondly, proving that SA cared about their students would mean when international travel resumed “Australia won’t be seen as a country you should avoid”.

Originally published as Adelaide Uni VC Peter Hoj says speed critical to return of international students