Darwin: Northern Territory (NT) has become the initial Australia territory to welcome back international students since the nation forced severe border curbs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the media provided details regarding the matter on Tuesday.
As a component of Australia’s first pilot program, at least about 70 students will show up in the district’s capital city of Darwin from Singapore later on in this month, the Sydney-based Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) announced in a news report.
The students will be needed to isolate for about fourteen days at an administration facility in Howard Springs before getting back to the Charles Darwin University grounds (CDU).
Andrew Everett, CDU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global Strategy and Advancement, in a statement said the students will be travelling on their own cost.
The SBS news report cited Everett as saying in the announcement: “International students contribute an estimated A$99 million into the NT economy each year and support almost 500 jobs. It is hoped that the success of the pilot will help contribute to the recovery of the NT economy.”
Until 2019, the global education industry was worth up to A$37.6 billion to the Australian economy.
Then, Phil Honeywood, the CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, stated: “Any statement by state or territory government concerning bringing international students back into their state or territory is evidence of life for our beleaguered industry and the more we can see these examples happening, the more momentum we can collect and prove to the wide Australian community that it is a very reliable way of restarting this essential industry for Australia’s future.”
In July 2019, about 410 international students showed up in the NT in an ideal opportunity for the second semester of study, as per the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
In the same time, this year, there were not so much as a single student because of the pandemic.
Prior to the health crisis, the NT government had declared that under an international education system, exactly 10,000 students would have the option to go to the district by 2025.
Then, the government of South Australia was likewise proceeding to work on at the last details of a pilot plan bring back up to 300 international students into Adelaide from Singapore.
In an announcement to SBS, a representative for the state government stated: “Any pilot program requires multiple approvals and the South Australian government continues to work closely with all relevant parties to ensure international students are welcomed back to the state in a safe and responsible way that meets SA Health’s strict requirements. Study Adelaide will work with the universities to assist international students to book flights once the proposal is approved.”
