Ombudsman for international students: Senate report

The Senate report on international students has taken a stick to state regulators, and wants both a carrot and a stick for agents. The Commonwealth Ombudsman should assume responsibility for international education, and governments and providers should adopt a carrot-and-stick approach with overseas agents, according to recommendations from the Senate inquiry into the welfare of international students. The 150-page report, released late last week, says complaints mechanisms for international students weren’t sufficiently independent. It calls for an independent “one stop shop” operating across jurisdictions and educational sectors. “Students could contact an independent body such as an ombudsman on issues such as study, safety, accommodation or employment after exhausting other complaint and assistance mechanisms,” the report says. “This body would also be able to investigate complaints in relation to providers and regulatory bodies.” The report says an ombudsman would also be able to “discern concerning trends or systemic problems” and bring them to the attention of the authorities, or take action itself. It could also conduct compliance audits of government agencies and train providers and regulatory agencies in “best practice complaints handling”. The report says “the current infrastructure” of the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s office “would be an appropriate avenue” to develop the new mechanism. Deputy vice-chancellor (international) with Flinders University, Professor Dean Forbes, said the suggestion made sense. “We need international students to be heard when they have issues – and before they become major issues,” he said. If regulatory agencies came in for some stick, the committee was magnanimous towards agents. “The majority of agents act in an ethical manner and are an important asset of Australia’s education industry,” committee chair Gary Humphries told the Senate. The report notes survey findings that 60 per cent of Australia’s overseas students are sourced through agents, compared to 19 per cent in the UK and 3 per cent in the US. It says overseas agents should have access to “authoritative information” about studying in Australia, and that the eVisa system should be expanded “to encourage professional conduct of overseas agents”. It also recommends that Australian providers should only deal with agents who have completed courses such as the Australian-developed Education Agent Training Course (EATC). This requirement should be phased in over the next three years, it says. “An increasing number of agents are enrolling in the EATC, a positive sign that should be further encouraged. The committee believes the entire education agent industry will benefit from requiring agents to undertake professional accreditation.” In late October the federal opposition proposed a similar requirement during a House of Representatives debate over the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment Bill. While the government rejected the proposal, education minister Julia Gillard said the idea was likely to be reflected in the Bill’s regulations, which are still being developed. Stakeholder groups, while strongly endorsing the EATC, have warned that making it mandatory could have a disastrous effect on international enrolments. They say overseas agents could end up switching their business to countries such as the UK, Canada and New Zealand because Australia was “too much effort” (CR, 26.10.09). Stakeholders say access is a key problem with the course. It’s an online course, but the test isn’t – meaning some agents have to travel thousands of kilometres to become qualified. Former NSW and federal MP Bruce Baird, who’s reviewing the ESOS Act, said he wasn’t considering mandatory training courses for agents. “We’d be encouraging the providers to monitor their agents and provide effective training, but it’s up to them how they do it,” he told Campus Review. “What we can do is make RTOs, institutions and colleges responsible for the operation of their agents.” Baird said there was “no silver bullet” with agents. “It’d be nice if we could accredit them offshore, but the bottom line is we can’t,” he said. But he endorsed the idea of streamlining the use of eVisas to encourage reputable agents. The Senate committee report offers 16 recommendations in all, including six about information provision, three about student work rights and two about regulation. It also urges the Commonwealth to pressure NSW and Victoria over transport concessions for international students, and recommends a nationwide audit of concessions with a view to standardising them. It also recommends urgent action on internships for international medical graduates, amidst predictions that domestic graduates will monopolise internships from 2012. Universities Australia said the report should be closely examined by the Baird Review and COAG’s international student strategy taskforce. “It is of paramount importance that the report is given appropriate consideration by all levels of government,” said CEO Glenn Withers. “This is a unanimous report which means there is no excuse for not taking quick action,” said committee member and Greens education spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young. But Forbes said that while Senate committee reports were compiled with the best of intentions, there was “no immediate imperative” for governments to implement their recommendations. He said the report was a useful addition to discussions about international education, but contained few surprises. “The real challenge is about getting more consistent standards enforced across Australia,” he said. “Some institutions are nor performing up to standard. That’s our real problem.” Go to aph.gov.au/Senate/reports.htm