New Colombo Plan is a victim of coronavirus travel bans

The government-backed plan, which sends Australian students overseas, has slowed to a near halt.

Then Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announces the New Colombo Plan. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The federal government-backed New Colombo Plan has slowed to a near halt, as universities first restricte­d, and then banned, overseas travel due to the coronavirus.

An initiative of former foreign minister Julie Bishop, the New Colombo Plan has sent tens of thousan­ds of Australian university students overseas for study and internshi­ps since 2014.

This year it was intended that 11,200 students from 40 universities would be funded to spend time in Indo-Pacific countries as part of the plan’s mobility program.

The mobility program trips are typically two to four weeks long, and a group of students study at an overseas university, or intern with an overseas organisation.

They are generally supervised by an Australian academic who travels with them and they earn credit in their Australian course.

Last year India, Indonesia, China, Vietnam and Japan were the top five countries visited by students using the plan. Inter­national Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood said it was important that the New Colombo Plan resumed when the coronavirus crisis was over and travel was possible again.

He said that he hoped any budget cuts that might occur at educational institutions would not lead to a fall in support for Australian students getting education experien­ces overseas

Mr Honeywood said it was equally important for the federal government to continue its support for the New Colombo Plan, bearing in mind the long-term benefits of stronger links with Indo-Pacific countries. The plan is responsible for about one-third of the Australian students who study overseas each year.

“The Australian international education sector has done incredible heavy lifting to make study abroad a core business at our universities,” Mr Honeywood said.