International students shine in Victoria

Details

Created on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 15:38

Written by Editorial staff

When Yuangi (Amanda) Yong arrived in Victoria two years ago, she could only speak a little bit of English.

Yesterday (May 21), she was congratulated by education minister Martin Dixon for winning a student leadership award.

This honour was presented to Ms Yong at the Victorian Coalition Government’s inaugural International School Student Awards, which was held at Parliament House.

"Amanda is just one example of the calibre of international students in Victorian schools," said  Mr Dixon in a May 21 statement.

Ms Yong has developed a buddy program that pairs international students with local children to help break down cultural barriers and assist the former group in overcoming the many challenges that come with moving to a new country and starting a new school.

This buddy program represents the mutual benefits that Australia's tradition of accepting and teaching international students has for our country - a tradition that spans more than 60 years.

The government's Study in Australia website is adamant that our education system is one of the best and most sought-after in the world, which is why more than 600,000 international students travel from over 200 countries to study in Australia each and every year.

In Victoria alone there are over 100 accredited primary and secondary schools with state-of-the-art facilities open to international students.

If you are interested in travelling to Victoria - or indeed anywhere in Australia - to study, you will need to think about contacting migration agents in Australia and organising a student visa.

Eight types of student immigration visas are on offer, according to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's website.

Whatever visa applies to you will be determined by your country of origin and your planned course of study whilst here in Australia. Migration agents can help you figure out which one best suits your needs.

These are the names of all currently available student visas: postgraduate research, primary or secondary school courses, vocational education and training (VET), English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS), higher education, non-award, AusAID and Defence sponsored visas.

Mr Dixon said the big winners at the International School Student Awards were picked from a highly competitive group of finalists. It is hoped these winners will form some sort of an alumni network that will help them keep in contact with other international school students in Victoria and wider Australia.

"As the awards demonstrate," announced Mr Dixon, "international students bring a wealth of cultural and linguistic diversity to our schools and add significantly to the collective story of multicultural Victoria."
He revealed that "students who choose to study in Victoria benefit from a world-class school education system and solid pathways to higher education within Australia and overseas."