15 June 2011
Prepared by AEI China
Part I. General summary
A total of 71 news articles were collected from 15 May to 31 May 2011, of which 39 articles were related to Australia education.
In the second half of May 2011, besides the coverage of the fourth annual Australia–China Joint Working Group meeting in Canberra and the associated announcement of the new Australian Government University Scholarship initiative, the acceptance of new English tests for Australia student visa applications received significant media coverage. The relevant news coverage on our competitors also focused largely on visa policy changes. Late in May there was coverage on the recently reduced financial document requirements for Canadian student visa applications. We also saw comments on the recent trend of Chinese students choosing to return home from the US, as well as new policies introduced by the US government trying to keep science professionals in the US.
Part II. Brief summary on each key issue
Australia
The Joint Working Group Meetings and Mr. Du Yubo’s interview with Xinhua News
The 4th Australia-China Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting was held in Canberra this month; it received broad coverage from major news outlets such as Xinhua, China Daily and China News, and print publications such as Beijing Evening News. More than 190 articles were found featuring this topic. The meeting was also featured on government websites, such as the Ministry of Education (MoE) and State Council Information Office of the PRC. Reports about the JWG maintained a positive tone with a brief introduction to the themes of the meetings.
After the JWG meeting, China's Vice Minister of Education Du Yubo sat down for an interview with Xinhua news agency. In the interview Mr Du Yubo emphasised the importance of the JWG as an effective mechanism for carrying out discussions. He said that the JWG strengthened the relationship between DEEWR and MoE. Mr Du gave an introduction of the topics discussed at the JWG meeting and the key information of the DEEWR–MoE Joint Working Plan, which outlined the priorities and the key cooperation projects for the next two years. He also said that the MOE cared about protecting the rights of the Chinese students in Australia, and that student safety was an important issue which drew attention from both Australia and China.
The announcement of the first Australian Government university scholarship
In order to promote the new Australian Government university scholarship, announced during the JWG visit, AEI China distributed a bilingual press release with the title Scholarships Build Stronger Education Ties with China. The announcement of the new university scholarship received heavy media attention from major news and education sites. More than 200 articles were found featuring the new scholarship, with the title The first Australian Government university scholarship was officially announced. Reports gave an introduction to the new scholarship plan, and quoted Minister Evans to say that Australia is one of the Chinese students’ favourite destinations for studying aboard.
The acceptance of new English language tests for Australian student visas
On 20 May 2011 the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) announced that apart from the IELTS test, later this year TOEFL, Pearson Test of English Academic and the Cambridge English: Advanced would also be accepted for Student visa application purposes. As the new policy directly impacts on international students and on the test providers, the announcement of additional English tests options received considerable media coverage. Many news articles mentioned the acceptance of TOEFL in the title. Reports said the new policy allows students to choose the test they feel comfortable with. For example, if a student feels more relaxed when facing a computer, especially during the speaking test, they can choose to sit TOEFL, which is a computer based test. It was also mentioned that this policy change was another initiative carried out by the Australian Government to attract international students.
Former overseas student expressed his disappointment of his study experiences
In late May an article written by an overseas student has drawn attention of many netizens. The article named A heart-breaking story of an overseas student who used to study Australia–returning overseas student worth nothing has been republished by many major media outlets such as Xinhua and people.com. The main reasons for the author’s disappointment were:
- The downsides of studying in Australia. According to the author, he studied IT; however, it was hard for him to get a job in Australia. Graduates from Go8 might have better chances but those universities were hard to get in to. Even after returning to China, the study experience in Australia was not helpful for his job search.
- The poor services provided by the homestay families and the immature behaviour of his peer overseas students, such as indulging in luxury commodities and obtaining money by deception.
The article became hot threads in many BBS participants (online forum) for the overseas Chinese, such as Eachinese. The majority of the replies held the opinion that it was actually an individual case but the article damaged the image of overseas students, as well as Australia as a study destination, and the author had himself to blame for his circumstances. There were also replies said the article was faithful and, to a certain extent, reflected the reality.
Canada
In May the Government of Canada announced the Reduced Financial Document Requirements for Study Permit Applicants with Demonstrated English Language Proficiency. The new rules removed ‘the requirement to submit proof of assets or banking history’ for the applicants with an average IELTS score 6 or higher.
This visa policy change has received heavy media attention, with positive coverage from Sohu, Sina and other major news sites. Many articles used quotes from the education agents to say that the former strict visa regulations, especially the requirements for the maintenance of funds documents, used to be a main reason that discouraged students from applying to study in Canada. Now for the students who can meet the English language proficiency requirements, the requirement for financial documents is much lower than before. Education agents commented that the US, Britain, New Zealand and Australia’s immigration policies are being tightened, while it appears that Canadian immigration policy is more lenient. Because of the lower tuition fees, teaching quality and the direct positive impact of its immigration policy, the attractiveness of study in Canada is increasing year by year.
The US
Late in May we saw comments on the recent trend of returning students from the US, and the modifications of the US visa policies.
The below widely republished article made comments on the recent trend of Chinese students in the US choosing to return home. The article also noted that the US Government has recognised the trend and has carried out initiatives to keep professionals in the US.
The article cited USA Today and said that, due to long visa processing time and the high cost of living, thousands of overseas students chose to leave the states and return home. This has caused the US concern about the shortage of skilled people in high-tech fields. When it comes to Chinese overseas students, the article cited the statics from the MoE to show the rise in the number of returning Chinese students from the US. It was said that another reason for their return was because of the supportive policies and programs carried out by the Chinese Government.
It was mentioned in the article that in order to keep the professionals, the US Government had already began to take actions by extending the Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa period, which now allows the science graduates to stay in the US for up to 29 months. 50 more majors were also added to the OPT major list. Having said that, the article believes the above policies carried out by the US are far from enough to keep the graduates in the US.
Another most cited article was positive coverage on the efforts made by the US Government trying to simplify the US visa application procedures. It was said that the US was taking further steps to simplify the procedures by introducing new guidelines for visa extension applications. In response to the increasing number of visa applications received, the US will also increase the number of the visa officers in China to grantee the visa processing time, and the student visa applications will be dealt with first.