Aussie News - Issue 24 - March 2007

Austrade News

Studying in Australia

Australian Government organisation, Austrade, has been busy inviting local students to hear first hand the benefits of studying in Australia.

The Austrade office in Mauritius recently ran a very successful series of presentations, in Seychelles. This involved the participation of Australian institutions keen to get closer to their audience in the islands and drew a total of about 400 students to the various events. The seminars took place in the lead up to the milestone Australian Film Festival launched by Mr Ian McConville, at the Banyan Tree resort in Seychelles.

Romina Panray of Austrade, responsible for the education portfolio in this region, said that Australia has a track record of producing quality graduates with relevant skills and well-recognised qualifications. “Part of the reason for Australia’s success in attracting international students is the high international ranking of Australian universities,” she says. Students can also expect competitively priced fees, a high quality of life, a low cost of living and a safe environment.

“Six Australian universities are listed in the world’s top sixty and twelve in the top two hundred according to the Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings Survey 2006.”

“Australia currently hosts more than 8,400 students from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean region, who are pursuing courses in a range of academic disciplines”, she said. “It is very interesting to note that Mauritius was listed as the leading source of students for Australian education institutions from the whole Sub-Saharan African region, ahead of places like Zimbabwe and Kenya”.

“Australia has the largest proportion of international tertiary students per head of university student population of any of the major providers of international education in the world- demonstrating the continuing international confidence in the quality of the education.”

For further information on education opportunities in Australia please visit the Austrade website: http://www.austudy-africa.com or the Information Centre at the Australian High Commission.