‘80 pc fall in Indian students opting to study in Australia’

Speaking to the media here,Varghese said,“The attacks in the past were unfortunate and I condemn them. Some attacks could be racial and we do not say there were not. The criminal justice system is dealing with the attackers. But in many incidents the attacks were not racial and there were other motives…,” he said.

“Unlike the earlier generation of Indian students,the present students are going for vocational programmes that lead to permanent residency,” Varghese said,adding many of the students were involved in occupations having higher risks and were living in crime-prone areas.

The Australian Envoy said that the authorities had taken a series of steps,including increasing the police patrolling and briefing Indian students,in a bid to check the attacks on foreign students.

He also said that students going to Australia for private vocational courses like cookery and hair-dressing will not be able to get permanent residency there as the Australian government had changed the rules. “One can go in for these private vocational courses but it will not guarantee a permanent stay there,” he said adding that between 20-30 institutes in Australia had been closed down for not providing adequate services to students.

Varghese also said that the Australian government was going to celebrate the year 2012 as Special Promotion of Australia in India.