OVERSEAS STUDENTS THE PRIORITY

Australian universities are champing at their academic and financial bits, in frantic endeavours to have overseas students return to Australia. They are dead set keen to bend over backwards in order to have as many return as soon as possible and are looking at schemes to expedite their arrival .

This doubtful initiative had been spearheaded by the Charles Darwin University, with 63 students from four different countries arriving via a flight from Singapore. While students had to pay for their seats on the flight, their costs of being quarantined at the Howard Springs facility will be at the expense of the CDU.

Vice Chancellor Simon Maddock commented today that the average amount of money returned by each overseas student to the local economy is in order of $40,000 per year. The University is therefore happy to cover the $157,500 quarantine cost for the 63 students, because of their anticipated $2,520,000 contribution to the university and Territory economies.

This intake of students to the CDU is an icebreaking exercise. The Vice Chancellor and obviously the university board are looking forward to more arrivals. Sadly, this position is one that continues to further relegate domestic students as being unimportant, second class tertiary citizens – without the bags if money being jingled by arrivals from overseas.