In recent years, the growth in the number of Melbourne students has intensified as students from countries such as China continue to pour in, but the trend has raised concerns among parents of local students who believe that International students scrambled for admission to some of Melbourne`s well-known public schools.
In the past five years, the number of students enrolled in Victoria`s public schools is reported to have increased by 60%.
Because of the limited number of students admitted, some popular public schools with a large number of foreign students have also implemented a policy of not accepting students who are not in the enrollment area, even if they are brothers and sisters.
In response, Cate Hall, a spokesman for Our Children Our Schools, a public school lobby group, said: "although the admission of foreign students in public schools can promote cultural diversity and increase the income of schools, due to the limited number of students enrolled in schools, As a result, a substantial increase in international students is crowding out the opportunities for some local students to enroll. "
At present, there are 4352 students in public schools in Victoria, most of whom are from China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, India and South Korea.
Among the public schools, East Doncaster Secondary College has the largest number of international students, reaching 118; In addition, Balwyn High,Northcote High School,Kew High School,Strathmore Secondary College,Camberwell High School,Brighton Secondary College,Elwood College these schools also have a large number of students, between 70 and 94 people.
Because these schools are so popular, they all have strict admissions areas, or so-called "school districts," and students whose home addresses are not within the school district are not admitted.
One parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were no regional restrictions at the time of registration at one of her first children`s schools, but there are now more than 70 international students in the school. So now when she wants her second child to go to the school, the school says they`re not in the school district.
"it doesn`t make sense at all," she said. "aren`t the brothers and sisters who are in school a priority?"
Another parent also said, "if schools have extra places to enroll, shouldn`t they be given priority to local students?" I`m not exclusive, I just think it`s fairer. "
In response, a spokesman for the Department of Education said: "Victorian public schools must prioritize the admission of local students in their respective districts and do not allow international students to squeeze in places for local students."
In fact, the large number of public schools to recruit international students, is obviously out of financial considerations.
As the head of the Victorian parent`s Association said, the tuition fees of international students are about $15,000 per person, much higher than those of local students, so many schools recruit foreign students to increase their funding to make up for education and welfare. Expenditure on courses, etc.
However, the president of the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals believes that recruiting international students is also good for local students, because this will broaden their international vision, let them feel diverse cultures, and learn the languages of different countries. Understand the differences between different nationalities.
With the implementation of the new visa policy on July 1, pupils can also apply to study in Australia in the future. It is estimated that after that, the number of students studying abroad in Melbourne will not only grow larger, but also will greatly reduce the average age. Will this lead to a further increase in the entry threshold for some well-known schools?
Not sure!
But I`m afraid the school district room will be more difficult to get, right?
