Indian students, education policy and community sustainability

1. Indian students, education policy and community sustainability Supriya Singh Presentation at Asia @ RMIT 10 March 2010

2. Overview • Australia's education policy has led to a rapid increase of Indian students pursuing vocational education in the last decade. • This policy aimed at getting ‘designer migrants’ - a younger professional labour force, at little cost. • The policy was implemented with little social and cultural knowledge of Indian students, or any international students. • This gap in knowledge contributed to Australia being only partially successful in its aim to answer its need for a young professional labour force who would pay for its own skilling. • The effects of this policy have gone beyond education to the security, emotional and social welfare of students in our cities, and the changed profile of the Indian community in Victoria.   School of Accounting and Global Cities Research Institute

3. Australia’s education policy • Policy was aimed at getting “designer migrants”, a younger professional labour force, at little cost. • Widening of the desired trade definition led to the inclusion of trades like hairdressing, cooking, hospitality and community welfare. • Students were allowed to apply for migration in Australia after two years of education, if the desired points had been reached. • Between 2001 and 2006, of those who had degree qualifications, only 22% found a managerial, or professional position. • Those with hairdressing and cooking qualifications after 2006 are even less likely to be in a professional occupation. • In January 2010, the list of occupations was narrowed and permanent residence was linked to employer sponsorship. School of Accounting/Global Cities Research Institute

4. Social and Cultural Context of Indian students • Gender – nearly three-fourths of the Indian students are male. • Almost half of the Indian students in September 2009, were from Punjab. • Age – believed to be mainly in the 20-24 range, though don’t have references for that. • Majority of students are from small rural towns or villages, so Melbourne or Sydney would be their first experience of city life. • Those from the smaller towns in India, are more likely to enrol in the cheaper or smaller collages, whereas those who studied in the bigger cities in India, are more likely to have enrolled in the larger universities • Lack of fluency in English is reflected in low English testing scores. Those from the smaller towns, had received their education in languages other than English. • Baas’s study showed that in 2005, Indian students took out a loan between $15,000 to $55,000 to cover travel, visa, and educational expenses. Today, costs of living could be up to $42,000. • The push for migration comes from the expectation that the student will improve his or her prospects and send money home. School of Accounting/Global Cities Research Institute

5. Increase in Enrolment of Indian Students, 2002-2009 School of Accounting/Global Cities Research Institute

6. Profile of persons born in India, 2006

7. Changing the Indian community • Indian students and student migrants now make up almost one-third of the Indian community in Australia. People who see themselves as Indian number more than 400,000, up from 234,720 in 2006. • Indians in Victoria, Punjabi and most likely Sikh percentage to increase. In 2006, 40.9 per cent of India-born persons were in professional or managerial occupations. Most likely to decrease. • The experiences, and profile of recently arrived Indian students, and Indian migrants who arrived earlier is vastly different. School of Accounting/Global Cities Research Institute

8. Community sustainability • Law and order issues - Attacks on Indian students - Crime committed by the Indian students • Rethinking multiculturalism and the relationship between new migrant groups • Emotional and social costs for the students - Financial constrains - Employer exploitation - Crowded and expensive housing - Lack of pastoral care from the education providers and the community • Diminished image of the Indian community and increased segmentation.