Page 52 - Tropic Magazine Issue 15

TROPIC • OPINION

which, as a modest regional provider, would not be offered
Paul otherwise. Cairns Regional Council recognises the importance
Sjogren of international education to our economy, helping to fund
Study Cairns and the Student Hub. These enable local
Principal education providers to collaborate and attract candidates to
Trinity Anglican School the region and then support these students once they arrive.
While these resources are significant in helping local
providers, there are some decisions which are less helpful
Broadening our borders towards maintaining a healthy international education sector
in Cairns. The visa application process is lengthy, costly and
There has been some recent discussion in the media complex. This has led to some candidates choosing to study in
regarding the drop in the number of students studying Asian other countries. It is disappointing when a candidate chooses
languages through to Year 12. New Zealand or Canada instead of us because of our visa
Despite successive government plans (and money invested) environment.
to increase the number, it has stubbornly been falling over the International education providers must balance the
last few years. Governments of all types have recognised this obligations of multiple departments, policies and legislation.
challenge but have been unable to fix it. One mistake or oversight can lead to the closure of the
We know some of the reasons: learning an Asian language is provider’s business. While it is important to protect our
hard work, Asian characters are a very different construct to international students, the reporting and regulatory loads are
our alphabet, and Australia is isolated and so an alternative onerous - especially for small-to-medium providers. Australia
language is not considered important by many. provides an Ombudsman for international students, and
However, we know that human nature is such that if a reward this service is valued and important. For the many small-to-
was associated with it, more students would study an Asian medium education providers in the region, an Ombudsman
language. Maybe offering a weighting on ATAR calculations might assist us as well. My hope is that we could have an
is a possible solution. If universities place an extrinsic value Ombudsman to help us to balance our obligations without
on an Asian language, so will students. Some states and buckling under the load.
individual universities do place an entry bonus on learning a
language other than English (LOTE) but it is not consistent MORE: cairnslanguagecentre.com.au and
across the country, nor the state, and usually does not cairnsbusinesscollege.com.au
specifically target Asian languages. Maybe a 10% subject score
bonus for non-native speakers studying an Asian language
could be just the lever that leads to increased enrolments. Or
a reduced course fee at university for those who choose to
continue studying an Asian language (as a second language).
Whilst there are challenges, such as the difficulties in Ash
maintaining equity within our university selection processes, Balderson
there are a number of options for a government with the will Owner
to address this trend. Status Plus
MORE: tas.qld.edu.au
Be well, be calm, always smile

Have you ever stopped to think how busy everyone seems to be
right now in this day and age of 2018 and social media? Please
Shuaib Chaudhry take a moment to ponder exactly why you in particular are so
Digital marketing manager flat out and struggle to get things done.
Cairns Language Centre and Is everything you do in a day necessary or are you just rolling
Cairns Business College with the punches? Dealing with whatever crops up in your
week moment by moment, hour upon hour and so forth
to keep the peace with those around you (whether it be
Get policy settings right immediate family, friends or work colleagues) and ultimately
with yourself?
International education is the second largest sector in In no particular order, there’s: exercise, food to gather and
the Cairns economy, and our Federal, State and Local prepare, spending time with your partner, children, work,
Governments play an important role in it. Their decisions and work, work, eat, sleep, clean teeth, shower, dress, relaxation
policies can significantly impact the sector, and in turn our (haha), social gatherings for coffee, lunch, dinner, recreation
local economy. There are numerous ways governments of all (swim, bike ride, run, hike - go somewhere - Tablelands or
levels are involved. Port Douglas?), watch TV or a movie (on Apple TV, Foxtel or
The Federal Government’s Austrade department helps Netflix, grab the news?) travel for work to Brisbane, Sydney,
education providers promote ourselves in overseas markets, Melbourne, internationally, shopping for that thing you need,
providing strong knowledge of the local markets and valuable having fun, stopping to smell the roses, water the lawn, go
advice and introductions. The Queensland Government to the vet, doctor, dentist, take some rubbish to the dump,
supports international education through Trade Investment mow the lawn, do some gardening, grab a spin, yoga or gym
Queensland, and the department retains experts in many class, get a haircut (I use the dog clippers having not much
key markets. They make introductions and open doors on top), walk the dogs morning and night, have a holiday

52 • Tropic • Issue 15