The New South Wales (NSW) government announced that they are ready to welcome 250 students per fortnight beginning the mid-year as part of the border reopening plan. The plan includes the return of international students taking up medicine and other health-related degrees and those almost done with their studies. The universities will pay for the bills incurred by returning international students during their mandatory quarantine.
NSW’s AUD 14 billion budget for the international education sector will have to be approved by the Commonwealth in the coming days. Within the next six weeks, incoming students will quarantine in the purpose-built student accommodation in Sydney upon arrival. The quarantine facility is expected to scale up in the next coming months as NSW is expected to bring back a total of 3,000 students weekly.
International students specialising in medicine and health are on top of the list because they will be then deployed to do clinical placements and fieldwork, according to Professor Barney Glover.
“If we don’t act fast, students will turn to other overseas destinations, and it could take the sector decades to recover,” said NSW treasurer Dominic Perrotte. In NSW, there are over 250,000 international students pre-pandemic. They are crucial to the state’s economy because they support 95,000 jobs.
With the government’s current plan, international students will see the light in continuing their studies in NSW. Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge announced that even though the plan’s criteria are met, there should be no risks for COVID outbreaks.
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