Australian agency to help resolve perception issues in India

(Credit: IANS) A national agency to oversee standards of higher education

providers will help resolve Australia's "serious perception issues" in

India, an official of a universities' group said Thursday, adding "we do

have a problem in India, and it is our collective problem".

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday announced the establishment

of Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), which is going

to be an independent body to regulate higher education providers.

The agency was established following concerns about safety and the quality

of education providers to international students, including those from

India.

There has been a string of attacks on Indians in Australia and one of the

assaults proved fatal. Nitin Garg was fatally stabbed in Melbourne Jan 2.

A section of Indian students also faced acute problems after the institutes

where they were enrolled shut down.

The new agency will help resolve the "serious perception issues" that had

developed after attacks on Indian students in Australia, and cases of

students paying high fees for substandard courses, said Universities

Australia chair Peter Coaldrake.

"We do have a problem in India, and it is our collective problem."A problem

for a private VET (Vocational Education and Training) provider is a problem

for Australia," Australian news agency AAP quoted Coaldrake as saying.

Coaldrake added, "We all support the establishment of a body which can

proudly wave the flag in terms of the quality of our system and which

monitors the entry of new players."