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Facing flak over a wave of racial attacks against Indian students, Australia today reassured them of "safety, welfare and accommodation" as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said a top delegation will visit India soon to project this country as a safe destination for higher studies.
During a high-level Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting attended by Rudd and state Premiers in Darwin,the leaders agreed to an International Student Strategy (ISS) aimed at broadening and improving the experience students havein Australia, the Australian Associated Press reported.
"It is important to extend Australian hospitality to international students," Rudd said in a joint statement with Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Julia Gillard, while announcing the July 5 to 15 India trip of the delegation comprising senior police and other officials from federal and state governments.
The delegation, which will first visit New Delhi after it reaches there on Sunday, "will also travel to major Indian cities to meet with state governments and others to hear about their concerns and reassure them that Australia is a safe destination for Indian students," Rudd said. The students' concerns will be taken into account at a international student roundtable, planned for September 14-15 in Canberra, Rudd said.
Deputy Prime Minister Gillard said the attacks on Indian students had highlighted a number of issues concerning them. "Not only with safety but with a range of issues related to living and studying in Australia," she said. "International students will be able to discuss directly issues affecting their study experience -- such as accommodation, welfare and safety -- and propose ideas for their resolution." The federal and state leaders said overseas students were welcome in Australia. "They provide diversity and richness to our education and training institutions and enrich communities in which they live," the leaders said in a communique.
The ISS will try to help students become more engaged in life outside the classroom and will also try to deepen their community ties apart from ensuring students were better informed about what to expect before they arrive and once they set foot in Australia. The strategy will encourage greater community integration for foreign students who often complain of feeling isolated, and better coordinate government education and migrationpolicies. In addition, it will examine the quality of education providers, aimed at ensuring courses measure up to strictstandards. The Commonwealth will spend 50,000 dollars on an initiative to be run by Darebin Council in north Melbourne, which will encourage students to get involved in social and sporting events in their community. It will be used as a model for further initiatives.
"All government, education and training providers and student unions should support greater levels of interaction between international students and local communities," Gillard said. The Australian delegation will meet Indian ministers and other officials in New Delhi on Sunday to discuss the student issue. The delegation will also visit seven other Indian cities -- Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore -- during the visit.
A total of 20 Indian students have been attacked in a month in Australia, which is home to over 95,000 Indians pursuing education here. These attacks have shaken Australia's reputation as a safe destination for overseas students. Meanwhile, Universities Australia Chief Executive Glenn Withers welcomed the government's safety initiatives, saying these will benefit all staff and students, not justinternational students. "In recent years universities have been working to enhance the student experience," he said. This is happening "through work-integrated learning programmes, advisory and counselling services, volunteering opportunities and more comprehensive course experience evaluations," Withers said. "Universities Australia looks forward to partnering with Commonwealth and state governments in further resolving transport, accommodation and other key safety issues," hesaid.