Private education providers are set to face tougher regulations as the Department of Education sets out reviewing the legislative framework around foreign student compliance, according to a report in The Australian.

The review is linked to investigations by the Overseas Students Ombudsman which has warned private education providers of a systemic problem of non-compliance that is severely damaging the reputation of Australia’s education sector.

Sloppy student services and false attendance reporting are systemic problems plaguing overseas students at private education providers, the national Overseas Students Ombudsman has revealed.

In an ‘issues paper’ on poor compliance in the private education sector, the Ombudsman revealed that it investigated some 448 student complaints since the body's establishment in 2011. The Ombudsman had to intervene in 142 cases in order to prevent DIBP from sending students home. 

“It warned some providers were failing to intervene with at-risk students, allowing weak students to continue to study and fail.Student absences were also being miscalculated. Providers were marking students absent when they were merely late, or on days when it was a public holiday and there were no classes scheduled” noted the report in The Australian.

Students suffer the consequences of these inefficiencies as DIBP normally reacts by cancelling their visas if the issues it becomes aware of are not addressed properly.

Failing to meet basic academic and attendance requirements as prescribed in their student visa is often considered serious enough for cancellation. Once a visa is cancelled these student are barred from making further visa application in Australia for 3 years.

Under the national code of practice for education providers, the institution is required to monitor and  support at-risk students. The providers are supposed to notify the student when they start falling behind, but the report found some were leaving it too late.

An Australian Department of Education and Training spokesman told The Australian that the department was reviewing the "legislative framework which sets out obligations on providers and international students, including in areas around course progress and attendance monitoring".