Coronavirus: the end of the "Australian dream" for foreign students?

Text by: RFI Follow

In the fight against the coronavirus, Australia sets an example throughout the world. It was in particular by closing its borders very early that this country succeeded in halting the spread of the pandemic. But it has therefore also deprived the universities of the country of an essential part of their resources: the tuition fees paid by foreign students. Australia is the third country, after the United States and Great Britain, which receives the most. But at the height of the crisis, the government chose not to help them. A blow to the country's reputation as a study destination.

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With our correspondent in Sydney,Grégory Plesse

A Colombian student, Andrea came to Sydney to become a cook. Now, she can no longer afford to fill her plate. Now unemployed, she is lining up to collect a basket of food distributed by volunteers.

Like more than 500,000 other foreign students in Australia , it received no help from the government to deal with the crisis. "  We seem to be just numbers in this country," laments Andrea. We are not taken into account as humans, we are only a statistic. I find this very frustrating,  ”she says.

Ten billion euros in losses for the education sector

These foreign students nevertheless inject 23 billion euros per year into the economy. A windfall essentially captured by the faculties, which have become financially very dependent on it.

"  Foreign students contribute about 26% of university revenues, " said Gaby Ramia, professor at the University of Sydney. When you take all the factors into account, they fund a total of 240,000 jobs in Australia.  "

These jobs are now under threat, with Australia's borders still closed. According to Universities Australia , the higher education sector could lose up to 10 billion euros by 2023.

► Read also: Australia: despite the coronavirus, Tasmania supports its foreign nationals

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• Australia
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