Australasia

International student enrollments in Australia continued to fall for the fourth year in a row in every sector except English language teaching, according to the latest end-of-year statistics from the Australian government (AEI). The top five markets remained the same despite a 24.5% fall in enrollments to 53,396 from India.

English Australia, a peak body for English language providers, is looking to ramp up engagement with education agents worldwide after a survey revealed that 37% of respondents were unaware of the organisation.

The Australian Council for Private Education and Training has called for student visa reforms to be extended beyond the university sector, after a damning report showed Australia’s $2billion education export industry fell sharply in the two years to FY2011-12—with the brunt borne by ELICOS and VET.

Navitas, one of Australia’s biggest education providers, says it is on the road to growth as revenue and enrolment climbed in the first half of FY2013. The firm, which has large English language and pathway divisions, saw total group revenue climb 4% to AUS$355.4million with profits down just 1%.

A new report from New Zealand has found a very high correlation between overall international student satisfaction and the quality of a student’s learning experience—and that “living and support” services play a much smaller role. University students who were “very satisfied” with their teachers, facilities and course were 27 times more likely to report higher overall satisfaction than those “very dissatisfied”.

Student visa holders in Australia have been tricked into paying large penalty fines to offshore accounts for unlawfully working beyond their visa conditions. DIAC issued a warning to international students to be aware of individuals impersonating their officers; with more than 300,000 student visa holders in the country at risk, it is taking the scam "seriously".

A proposal from the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) to prevent foreigners gaining permanent or temporary residency in Australia if they work as accountants could hit higher education enrolments, universities in the country have claimed. Degree-level accountancy courses attracted 28,000 or 12% of the 230,000 foreign enrolments in higher education last year.

Koreans and Chinese who study at Australian universities have a strong chance of finding work when they return home and are highly valued by their employers. However, employers from both countries say Australian universities should provide more practical work experience.

The government of New South Wales – one of Australia’s most popular student destinations – hopes to establish a body to promote international education in the state. But at least one education body has complained that there will be little new funding for it.

The University of Canterbury, one of New Zealand’s best known HEIs, has partnered with Australian education giant Navitas in a bid to boost its foreign enrolments. The two will launch a new pathway venture from the second half of 2013.

Browns English Language School in Australia has won the top export award in the Education & Training division, beating fierce competition and earning itself widespread recognition.

International House World, the global language school brand, has launched its first language learning app for mobile phones and tablets. My Words stores and translates vocab in 15 languages.

Academies Australasia Group, one of Australia's oldest private education companies, has successfully acquired all or part of two more education institutions – expanding its stable of eight colleges in Australia and one in Singapore up to 10. This includes the acquisiton of Melbourne-based language college Discover English for AUS$190,000.

Australia has joined a growing list of countries looking to tap the burgeoning Indonesian student market, holding a major exhibition to promote its science education. Australia is Indonesia's number one study destination (with 17,896 enrolments in 2011) but faces competition overseas.

Overseas students who work as cleaners in Australian shopping centres are being exploited by their employers while retailers enjoy large profits, a new study has claimed. The report highlights extreme workloads, underpayment and a culture of discrimination and says internationals are less likely to complain than the rest of the workforce.