The MoU, signed by CISA national president Bijay Sapkota and TEQSA chief executive Anthony McClaran, sees CISA receiving formal recognition from the regulatory body for the first and outlines an agreement to share information and documentation.

“This MoU with CISA, now TEQSA’s third with an Australian student body, is a clear sign that the student voice will help guide our future work,” McClaran told The PIE News.

“With international education and international students now a vital part of the Australian higher education landscape, this MoU with CISA will ensure that the unique views of this cohort are heard.”

Speaking with The PIE, CISA national public relations officer Arjun Mathilakath Madathil said the MoU was a step forward for both organisations to work together on overlapping areas of interest.

“CISA is the national peak body for international students in Australia representing around 600,000 students across every study sector,” he said.

“It’s more of a recognition for the international students in Australia. This shows that the international student voice is being heard and their concerns looked into in this country.”

As well as formalising its relationship with CISA, TEQSA announced that it would establish a Student Expert Advisory Group to help formulate its processes for student engagement.

The TEQSA conference, which was held in Melbourne at the end of last month, also saw the body finalise a MoU with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association, which outlines cooperative efforts to better engage with the Australian Indigenous population.

“This shows that the international student voice is being heard and their concerns looked into in this country”

The agreement is the second significant piece of work undertaken this year, after Universities Australia announced its Indigenous Strategy 2017-2020, to increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people in universities.