Universities told they’ll have to wait for foreign students

Education Minister Alan Tudge is playing down expectations for opening borders to international students next year.

Education Minister Alan Tudge. Picture: AAP

Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge is playing down expectations for opening borders to international students next year, telling universities only that he is “hopeful” foreign students will be able to return in larger numbers for the first semester of 2022.

In a speech to be delivered at RMIT University in Melbourne on Wednesday, Mr Tudge will warn of “challenges” to opening the borders and tell universities the government can’t offer more clarity until mid this year.

He will also use the speech to send a message to international students stranded overseas, telling them the government looks forward to welcoming them back.

“We thank them for their ­patience to date. I hope they ­appreciate that we have closed the borders for a very good reason,” he will say in the speech, which is his first major statement on international education since taking over the portfolio in December.

“While I would like to provide certainty and predict a time at which we can welcome back international students in large numbers, I hope you all recognise that the unpredictability of this virus just does not allow me — or anyone else for that matter — to make guarantees,” he will tell universities. “With the vaccine rollout under way, I am hopeful that student arrivals in larger numbers will occur by semester one of next year. We expect that every Australian adult who wants to be vaccinated will have access to their first jab by the end of October.

“There are challenges though. While successful at controlling symptoms, we do not yet know if the vaccine prevents transmission, and a global authentication system for vaccination certificates is a long way off.”

Mr Tudge’s lack of certainty on border openings will be a major disappointment to universities and the rest of the international education industry, which is desperate for students to return in large numbers.

While some students have enrolled online, the lack of new students coming into the country is a major blow for retailers, accommodation providers and other service industries.

Last year nearly $9bn was slashed from the value of the $40bn education export industry because of border closures and, with few new students likely to ­arrive this year, the cost will ­rapidly grow.

In the speech Mr Tudge will also tell universities they have ­focused too much on earning revenue from international students. He will say they have not sufficiently used the strong flow of students from overseas to enhance the learning experience of Australian students, to build Australia’s supply of workforce skills, and to strengthen connections with other countries.

“I am concerned that the ­relentless drive for revenue in order to fund research — which then drives global rankings — has meant that there is an imbalance between the first objective and the others,” he will say.

Mr Tudge is particularly concerned about the lack of diversity in the international student ­cohort studying in Australia.

“Having up to 60 per cent of a classroom with international students from just one or two other countries is not optimising the Australian student experience — or the international student ­experience,” he will say.

He will also warn universities of growing competition in the international student market from online providers, with other countries rapidly moving into this field. “Our competitors of the ­future may not be countries and universities, but companies and start-ups. IBM, Google and Amazon have all introduced their own micro-credentials.”