AAERI to guide Indian students going to Australia

Updated on: Friday, October 23, 2009

Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI) has announced stringent steps it is taking to protect Indian students opting to study in Australia, ensure that only genuine students go to Australia in future and eliminate education agents who are indulging in fraudulent activities and misguiding students. AAERI is a one-of-it’s kind self-regulatory body of education agents in the world, which has over 160 members across India.

Gulshan Kumar Pathania, President, AAERI said, “Australia is the second largest market for Indian students who pursue overseas education, and every year this number has been growing exponentially. In 2008 itself, over 40,000 students went to Australia from India. In order to maintain this growth and reinforce Australia’s standing as a high quality education destination, AAERI has been strongly lobbying with the government bodies in India & Australia for over a decade.”

Pathania added, “We urge all prospective students of India who are planning to study in Australia to go through AAERI members since they abide by a code of ethics which ensures students are treated honestly and fairly. AAERI members also ensure that students get accurate and unbiased information about studying options in Australia. And are not charged more than the fee prescribed by AAERI, which is currently Rs. 10,000/- only. ”

In light of the recent attacks on Indian students in Australia, Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI) has developed the following ‘8 point Action Plan’, to ensure a conducive environment for Indian students planning to study in Australia:

    * Working closely with Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Australia Education International and Australian High Commissioner on modules which will serve as guiding principles for Indian students planning to study in Australia.
    * Feeding intelligence on fraudulent practices of agents to the Australian Government bodies.
      Strongly advocating for interviews of students opting for Vocational courses and having stringent checks for eVisa lodgment
    * Working closely with Indian community in Australia to understand the on ground situation and their concerns.
      Strengthening AAERI’s disciplinary committee and working closely with authorities in India and Australia to act on substantiated complaints from students immediately.
    * Conducting visa training workshops for AAERI members across India. These workshops will be held in conjunction with DIAC to enable agents to help students during the entire visa processing stage.
    * Undertaking regular exhaustive audits of AAERI ‘Code of Ethics’ followed by all 160 members and keep improving ‘Entry Norms’ for new members
    * Encouraging AAERI members to assume greater responsibility in case of conflict of interest between the student and the education provider.

AAERI to guide Indian students going to Australia

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