Australia soon to reclaim its "International Education" throne once borders open

After facing severe months in the COVID-19 pandemic and losing millions, if not billions in losses, Australia now stands in front of a golden opportunity to regain international students' choice of destination.

New research shows that opening international borders with timely precautions can boost the lagging education sector, a significant contributor to the Australian economy. Australia's Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg expressed his views this week that achieving 70- 80% vaccination targets for the country would create a "real opportunity" by allowing borders to reopen to international students. ‍

The notable individual also shared that a focused and bright opening will also play an essential part in the next few months.

"It means a lot to our economy; it means a lot to our universities," he said. The sector was worth an estimated A$40 billion to the economy, including about $10 billion in university fee revenue, but has shrunk during the pandemic."

Students Still Considering Australian Universities As An Option

Research carried out by The Conversation, an Australian not-for-profit media network, explains that many of the effective measures carried out by the Australian government have put faith in students’ minds.  

The 2020 survey, carried out around mid-2020 in the Asia Pacific College of Business and Law at Charles Darwin University, revealed favorable ratings of the Australian government’s and the university’s pandemic responses. Both Charles Darwin University and the government performed well in supporting student well-being, promoting hygiene and social distancing, and effective communication.

However, students do share an urgent need for financial assistance. As the pandemic grew in the country, more people lost their jobs than in the last two years, creating severe mental stress and health-related issues for most of the population. And with the reopening of the country’s borders, this would be amongst their top priorities to ensure a safe payday in Australia.

Hopes of Return Put on Hold

In November 2020, a CDU charter flight brought a good amount of international students to Australia. This marked the first and the only time for international students to visit the country since the pandemic began. 

It was a moment of success for the Australian administration as all students arrived safely without any COVID-19 incidents via the Howard Springs quarantine facility (a.k.a Corona Springs). But the moment of happiness soon converted into a lesser-smiling one when the government ended the international travel routes opening and put a lid on the Howard Springs quarantine facility in 2021.  

Since the new norms have been announced, there has been confusion between the interests of international students who are now prone to consider other nations while going abroad. The UK, US, and China have also been giving hefty competition to the Australian education industry. Without proper functioning and implementation of safety policies, the years-long buildup of the Australian education system would now be dealt with lower expectations which would leave more significant dents to the upcoming economic development of the country.