Study in Australia

Sanjoli Banerjee shares how she decided to study in Australia and what it has to offer to students who are willing to move abroad for higher studies.

Hailing from Karnal, Haryana, I moved to Australia in 2017 for my undergraduate studies. I studied International Security at Australian National University (ANU). My graduation was completed in 2020 and due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I returned to India that year. I again went to Australia in 2022 to pursue a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Wollongong.

Since my childhood, I was tracking the life story of many of my favourite leaders and I noticed all of them have studied abroad and then came back to India and made a change — be it Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi or Sarojini Naidu. Once I complete my studies I too, want to do something for society. I believe my services and potential are needed in India where we have a long way to go.

Why I chose Australia

In 2016, I was pursuing BA (Hons) in Political Science at Miranda House, Delhi University. However, I had this desire of studying abroad so I decided will give it a shot. After a lot of deliberation and research, I zeroed down on ANU. Just to be completely sure, my father and I went to Australia to attend the open day of ANU. I felt that the quality of education is better there. So, I withdrew my admission from DU and enrolled at ANU in 2017. At that time, ANU was ranked number 1 in Australia and was ranked sixth globally.

I studied International Security because I wanted to understand why there are conflicts in the world and how we can work towards a more secure world free from terror of any kind. My parents exposed me to activism at the age of 5, and with this course, I studied the concept of human security and it connected with my activism in India. We work on all kinds of issues — from female foeticide to saving the environment. We also cover issues regarding mental health and menstrual hygiene. My sister and I run an NGO called, Sarthi.

After studying security studies, I realised it was more about policymaking. I prefer the grassroot approach of working to sitting in an office and that is why I chose to do a Master’s in Social Work. The concept of human security which I studied during my bachelor’s is much related to social work so all of it ties up together.

But, all of it did not happen as smoothly as one would expect. I came back from Australia in 2020 after the pandemic struck and the world came to a standstill. At that time, I got an opportunity to study Public Policy at the United Nations University in the Netherlands but I had to let it go because of the pandemic. Then in 2021, I joined Christ University and by that time I had decided that I want to pursue social work for my post graduation, so I did not apply to the UN university again.

But after joining the university, I felt it would be better to study abroad as in India, social work is not a full-fledged profession, it is still emerging. And, the opportunities that I got in Australia like meeting people from different countries, and different cultures were not available in India.

Australian education system is more upgraded

In Australia, there is a lot of emphasis on self-study, reading a lot of articles and expanding our knowledge about the given subject. We write research essays, make presentations and critical reflection reports. The general assessments are a helpful way of assessing your progress. There are a plethora of opportunities — be it leadership or volunteering. I have volunteered for many causes in Australia as well. Students are always encouraged to learn new languages, go for exchange programmes, engage with politics and so much more.

In 2019 when I was at ANU, I even got an opportunity to be a Member of the Australian Parliament for a day. I took over the office of Senator Larissa Waters and also met then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison. In India, you wouldn’t get such an opportunity.

In India, there are opportunities but mainly for students who study in premium institutions whereas in Australia these opportunities are for everyone. There is a lot of work-integrated learning, so I am not just studying social work in my class, I am also working at the grassroots level. This method helps students gain industry experience and is a pathway to employment and understanding the industry they are a part of.

Documents required for admission

The Australian semester starts in February and ends in June and the second semester begins in July and ends in November. In Australia, it is peak summer time in December and January. For my bachelor’s at ANU, I submitted these documents — ,arksheets from Class 9 to 12; a statement of purpose explaining why I wanted to pursue the course, why have I chosen Australia, my future goals and more; letters of recommendation and a few essays to apply for the scholarship and interview. During my graduation, I applied for a scholarship. It was the only scholarship I was eligible for, it was for AUD 5000.

For my master’s I need these documents — my bachelor’s degree, letter of recommendation, statement of purpose and financial documents stating my parents’ source of income, property papers, tax returns (to ensure that the student will be able to sustain themselves in Australia). At the University of Wollongong, they don’t have a scholarship for master’s of social work. My parents took a bank loan to fund my education.

I stay in a student accommodation provided by the university, it’s called ‘International House’. I have room for myself and we share a kitchen, dining room and washrooms. I consider myself lucky that I got student accommodation as there are limited spots and it is quite expensive. But, we get breakfast and dinner from the accommodation and we only have to cook our lunch.

Multiculturalism in Australia

Australia is very multicultural as it has people from all over the world. Since there are people from all over, they bring their food and culture from their home countries to Australia.

Although Australia is a great place to live it does have some issues of its own. As children leave their homes quite early in life, say at the age of 18 to lead their independent lives, they are more susceptible to developing mental health issues. In India, society is more collective and children have a safety net with strong familial connections.

In my social work course, we have also learned that Australia deals with racism, towards its own Aboriginal population as well as migrants and refugees. However, the situation is changing. The country is very serious about building an equitable society with respect to human rights and social justice. This makes Australian cities some of the most liveable in the world.

You are your own saviour

My advice to students going abroad is to learn to take care of themselves. I have learnt a lot about the world since I started living on my own. I earlier lived in a bubble — safe and secure. I am learning to deal with daily challenges.

Albanese announces education qualification recognition, confirms Deakin’s India entry. Deakin University is the first overseas university approved to establish its branch campus in India ever.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday announced an ‘Australia-India education qualification recognition mechanism’ while making it official that Deakin University is the ‘first overseas university approved to establish its branch campus in India ever’.

On the first day of his two-day tour of Gujarat, Albanese also announced a new ‘Maitri’ scholarship for Indian students to study in Australia for up to four years.

The visiting PM, accompanied by a delegation, reached Ahmedabad on Wednesday and visited Sabarmati Ashram. He also celebrated Holi at Raj Bhavan with Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel as part of a cultural event.

“There is another significant development… we have finalised the Australia-India education qualification recognition mechanism. This new mechanism means that if you are an Indian student studying or have studied in Australia, your hard-earned degree will be recognised when you return home,” Albanese said as he addressed the ‘Celebrating India-Australia Education Relationship’ event in Ahmedabad.

“…Or if you are a member of Australia’s very large Indian diaspora of 8,00,000 and growing, you will feel more confident that your Indian qualification will be recognised in Australia. It is the most comprehensive and ambitious arrangement agreed to by India with any country. It paves the way for commercial opportunities for Australian education providers to offer more innovative and accessible education to Indian students and provide a solid basis for education institutions to consider new ways to partner with each other,” he stated, adding “it is a fantastic piece of work that will have really tangible benefits”.

The Deakin University’s proposed campus will offer courses in cyber security and business analytics, he said.

“The University of Wollongong also intends to establish a campus at GIFT City. Of course, we will always welcome students to come and stay in Australia…but not everyone has the means or the ability to pack up their bags and study in another country… now Indian students can obtain Australian education without being in Australia,” he added.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in his address said the Deakin University’s International Branch Campus (IBC) will also contribute towards the fulfilment of one of the goals of GIFT City, providing skilled manpower.

He also assured the Australian delegation of all possible support to any other university desirous of opening a campus in GIFT City.

Ravneet Pawha, Vice President (Global Alliances) and CEO (South Asia) of Deakin University, said, “This is a momentous occasion for both countries, and we are thrilled to have contributed to two ‘firsts’ in the Australia-India education sector story. The branch campus aims to provide a world-class post-graduate education to meet the industry’s skilled workforce demands within the country.”

Source: Indian Express

India and Australia have signed a framework mechanism for mutual recognition of qualifications that will help ease the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries.

The agreement was signed following a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on Thursday between Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Australian Education Minister Jason Clare. This agreement is part of the commitment by Prime Ministers of both countries at the Second India-Australia Virtual Summit held on March 21, 2022, wherein they had agreed to establish a joint taskforce for mutual recognition of qualifications.

A task force was accordingly set up consisting of senior officials of education and skill ministries and regulators on both sides. It has come up with a comprehensive mechanism that covers both education and skill qualifications of the two countries and will help facilitate two-way mobility of young people for education and employment purposes by mutually recognising various levels of education and skill qualifications.

Talking to ANI about these agreements, Pradhan said that both countries agreed to strengthen tie-up in education and skill development sector. Australia has made a scheme to invest USD 1.82 million. This amount will be spent in course and training. Also, it will further India’s collaboration with Australia in agriculture sector.

“The Australian education minister said that the relationship is becoming stronger and deeper every day,” Pradhan said.

When Minister Pradhan came to Australia, he spoke to me about this and said that what can we do to help and I told him that we were putting hundreds of people at work in the department of Home Affairs in Australia to process visas faster, and that is now happening,” Jason Clare said.

“The good news is that the Visa-processing time now has dropped from 40 days to two days. And the number of Indian students waiting for a Visa has dropped by 75 per cent in the last six months. So that’s good news.But there’s still more work to do in particular for PhD students,” Jason Clare said, adding, “And I told Minister Pradhan today that the next big task for me and other ministers in the Australian Government is working to speed up the visa process.”

It is notable that Australian education minister is on a five-day visit to New Delhi from February 28 to March 4 to facilitate India-Australia relations in the field of education. This is Minister Clare’s first overseas visit since becoming the education minister and he aims to build upon the success of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s visit to Australia in August 2022.

He has come with a large delegation of vice-chancellors of key Australian universities, five peak groups and a regulator. India and Australia already share very strong ties in the education sector. Education is also a very important pillar of India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Minister Clare’s visit is an important step in taking these relationships forward.

In today’s bilateral meeting, the two sides also discussed issues like promoting student mobility and enhancing research and academic collaborations between Indian and Australian universities through the mechanism of joint/dual/twinning degrees that have been brought in recently under NEP2020.

A number of institutional-level MoUs were also exchanged between India and Australia’s universities on Thursday that will promote research and academic collaborations between the two countries in several key sectors. The higher education sectors of both India and Australia are excited to partner with each other as evidenced by the large delegation from Australia. These institutions are driving the bilateral cooperation between India and Australia across a wide range of fields – from bio-innovation to law to industry solutions.

Minister Clare and his delegation also interacted with leading education business and industry representatives at an event organised by FICCI on Wednesday. The visiting Australian Vice-Chancellors participated in a round table to discuss — The Changing Face of Higher Education in India: Future Directions and Opportunities”. They also participated in a round table at University Grant Commission (UGC) on Thursday to discuss initiatives for internationalisation of education under NEP2020.

Source: Economic Times

From 1 July 2023, international higher education graduates with eligible qualifications will be granted an extra two years of post-study work rights. The allowable work hours cap for international students will be increased from 40 hours to 48 hours per fortnight.

Two-year extension of post-study work rights

A two-year extension of post-study work rights is available for international graduates with select degrees that are in areas of verified skill shortage.

This extension will give eligible international higher education graduates an additional two years on their Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485).

The extension is in addition to the existing additional one to two years of work rights for eligible students who study, live and work in regional areas.

View the indicative list of eligible occupations in demand and the related qualifications which are eligible for the extension.

The Hon Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education and the Hon Clare O’Neil MP, Minister for Home Affairs established a Post‑Study Work Rights Working Group to provide advice on the measure. You can read the Working Group Report and the Government response to the report’s recommendations.

Further information can be found in the post-study work rights factsheet.

Increase to allowable work hours cap from 1 July 2023

The Government has also announced an increase to the working hour cap for international students, from 40 to 48 hours per fortnight, when the cap is reinstated on 1 July 2023.

For more information, read the International student working hour cap factsheet.

Source: Australian Government Website

March 10, 2022
Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice President (Global) & CEO (South Asia), Deakin University, Australia

Ravneet Pawha is currently the Global Deputy Vice President and CEO (South Asia) – Deakin University Australia. She was awarded the prestigious Business Leader of the Year at the India Australia Business and Community awards 2018. She was also awarded the Exceptional Woman of Excellence in Women Economic Forum 2019. She holds various Vice Chancellor’s Awards of Excellence and outstanding contribution to building economic, social and human capital. She is the president of Australia India Business Council (Victoria).With over 28 years of experience in the international education and training sector, she has been instrumental in establishing global collaborations and strategic partnerships. She set up the Deakin University office in 1994, the first ever international ‘University office’ in India of any foreign education provider. She has developed 20 strong holistic partnerships across Government, academia, industry, and research specifically for Deakin University in India / South Asia and has contributed to the immense success globally. She is an inspirational leader and a passionate entrepreneur.

Do not lose hope!

To meet your career aspirations, refresh your vows engraving the fact that e-learning is the future, and you will certainly rise high if you travel with the time and do your efforts joyfully!

Dear Students,

Let’s be grateful to the Almighty that we are alive to see all facets of life. Understandably, all of you carry dreams and they are battling challenges right now, owing to the pandemic. But challenges only help us rise provided we have an eye for observing opportunities that arise simultaneously.

Talking specifically about students aspiring to go to Australia, you should stay hopeful and do your best with the best of options available to you to continue learning. Do not lose on time. The third wave may slow down things and it might take some time to finally board the plane to Australia, or any other country.

We must not forget, what we all went through in India in the second wave, last year (April-May 2021). The idea is not to feel scared, but we must take action wisely. Generally, the sense is that Omicron is not such an intense virus and people are taking about 3-4 days to recover. Yet, we can’t be careless, for even a small illness can lead to dire consequences if not taken care of. So being responsible for oneself and others is important.

What many world-class higher education institutions or we are doing at Deakin University presently, will help both students and parents understand that their future is secured and will have ample opportunities if the former is taking studies seriously.

Sports management, Health Management, Cyber Security, Business Analytics, Psychology, Media Relations, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning are the most popular programmes amongst students, these days. The reason is the way students are discerning the future. Students learning a traditional subject as a major, are integrating it with a futuristic minor. Marketing, for example, now, is coupled with the knowledge of digital marketing too. During the pandemic, the health sector is booming with professionals who have knowledge and skills in health management, health technology solutions, community health, health analytics, etc.

In Australia, if you are studying in any master’s degree for minimum of two years on-campus, you can apply to stay back and work for three years. And in regional Australia, you can work for four years post studies. Students can apply for employment after soon their graduation.

All progressive universities have strong industry-linked platforms. For example, when students enroll at Deakin, they automatically are registered to Deakin Talent. This platform is a completely digitised service for students where we align the profile of students to match their aspirational goals tapping their skills during their course of study. And at end of the course, we link them to the best companies. If a student wants to go back to India, there’s an option to register with Indian companies too.

For any overseas education aspirant, borders are now open, and it is unlikely that even in the current situation, the borders will be shut down. International students are continuously coming to Australia and are being supported strongly by the Government and respective Universities.

As reported by the Australian Financial Review on Thursday, January 13, 2022, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has fuelled labour shortages across several sectors in Australia, prompting the 40-hour-a-fortnight cap lift in sectors affected by the pandemic. The Federal government has agreed to a proposal to increase the 40-hour a fortnight cap for foreign students while they are studying, with it likely to be doubled to 80 hours a fortnight or 40 hours a week, said the report.

On-shore international students are now more likely to be exposed to opportunities for mentoring and securing employment in various sectors.

Please note that online learning will stay forever now. The new normal will very certainly be a hybrid model, in which traditional offline teaching and e-learning coexist. It is difficult to deny that hybrid learning has a bright future. Hybrid learning effectively combines the benefits of personalisation and convenience to provide a learning environment that is best adapted to meet students’ changing demands in today’s world.

The hybrid model has emerged as a fascinating example of the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention.” As the pandemic, ideally, fades, it will mutate further, spawning a slew of clever sub-models under the ‘hybrid’ umbrella.

In total, resistance to change will not help any of us, whether we talk about students, teachers, or institutions worldwide.

Students, you, surely have a bright future. You will be judged on your eagerness and agility to adapt to the trends and ability to sync with the changes.

Keep looking for the opportunities and moving forward to carve out a niche for yourself in the new normal!

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Saturday announced ‘Maitri’ Scholars Program under which it will provide over USD 11 million for four years to support Indian students to study in Australia‘s world-leading universities.

During the joint presser, the Australian Foreign Minister also announced a series of new initiatives to boost the education and cultural ties between Australia and India.

“I’m also proud with a number of my Australian ministerial colleagues to announce today a series of new initiatives to boost the education and cultural ties between Australia and India.

The initiatives are appropriately called the ‘Maitri’, meaning friendship initiatives,” she said.Australian Foreign Minister continued saying that under the Maitri Scholars Program, the Australian government will provide over USD 11 million over four years to support Indian students to study at Australia’s world-leading universities.

“The Maitri Fellowships Program will provide USD 3.5 million over four years to build links between future leaders, will support mid-career Australian and Indian professionals to collaborate on strategic research initiatives,” Payne said.

She explained that Australia will also provide over USD 6 million over four years for the Maitri cultural partnerships to support cultural exchanges and boost the role of the creative industries in our two countries.

Speaking at a press conference along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Payne said the relationship between Australia and India has deep connections in trade and investment as well.

“And as we stand here in Melbourne, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan is returning from India after a round of negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).”

On the CECA, Payne said this is an agreement that both sides are confident, will unlock new trade and investment opportunities, particularly as both economies recover from the impact of COVID-19.

On 22 November 2021, the Prime Minister announced the easing of border restrictions to enable the return of international students to Australia. Due to the emergence of the Omicron variant of concern, on 29 November 2021 the Australian Government announced the necessary and temporary decision to pause the reopening of Australia from 1 December 2021 until 15 December 2021.

This will allow education providers to plan for the return of international students, and for students to arrive in Australia and complete pathway courses prior to the commencement of the 2022 academic year.

International students who are taking part in a State or Territory International Student Arrivals Plan, and have been granted an exemption, will still be able to travel to Australia.

International students will be subject to Australian Government border restrictions and any State and Territory quarantine requirements in response to the new Omicron variant. Quarantine arrangements for States and Territories are frequently changing. International Students are advised to visit www.Australia.gov.au/states to ensure they have the most recent information.

International students are an important part of the Australian community, and we look forward to welcoming them back to our classrooms, campuses and communities.

The Department of Education, Skills and Employment has developed a factsheet on the reopening of international travel to students.

From 15 December 2021 fully vaccinated international students with a valid visa no longer need an exemption to travel to Australia.

More information on Australia’s vaccination requirements for eligible visa holders and travel exemptions can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Source: https://www.dese.gov.au/reopening-international-travel-students