Overseas students in Australia pissed off at repeated English testing requirements: report
The Australian Government Department of Home Affairs accepts five English language tests for student visa applications.
New York: International students in Australia are frustrated as they spend hundreds of dollars on compulsory English language tests that expire after two years, according to a Guardian report.
The students, who must retake the test even though they have a degree in English and have lived in Australia for years, say there is a conflict of interest between the organizations that set the rules and administer the test.
The Australian Government Department of Home Affairs accepts five English language tests for student visa applications, including IELTS, PTE, CAE, TOEFL and OET.
But even after they pass and complete their studies in Australia, they have to take language tests again to enter some workplaces or continue their studies in Australia, such as a master’s or a doctorate.
Yusef, a student who was charged $1,600 for four three-hour IELTS (International English Language Testing System) tests during his eight years in Australia, believes there is a conflict of interest.
“You have to take the test again in which universities hold shares… There is clearly a conflict of interest,” he told The Guardian.
Yusef recounted that one of his friends had to take the test 12 times and told the paper that paying $400 for the test burns a hole in his pocket, especially after spending tens of thousands of dollars to study in Australia.
Most international students from countries such as India, Pakistan and China take the $400 IELTS test, which is jointly owned by the British Council, Cambridge University Press and Assessment and Australian company IDP Education.
Australian universities expect students to achieve a minimum IELTS score of 6.0-6.5 or TOEFL score of 90 or PTE score of 72 or CAE score of 60-79 or above for admission.
Australia’s IDP has 19 public universities from the country as shareholders, including Monash University, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and UNSW.
These universities are responsible for regulating IDP as an education agent, providing assistance with course selection, visa and admission applications, and housing advice.
A government inquiry into international education has said there needs to be more scrutiny on universities’ responsibility to education agents.
When it comes to IELTS, universities regulate a company with universities as shareholders.
The institutions are also reaping the benefits of millions in profits generated by the IELTS test, the report, authored by Caitlin Cassidy, said.
“Forcing international students who are already paying a fortune to study in Australia to repeat tests was yet another example of how this country treats international students like cash cows,” Mehreen Faruqi, spokesperson for The Greens Education, told The Guardian.
“Insistence on multiple such tests, even for students who have completed tertiary education in English, has xenophobic overtones and is clearly to the detriment of students who have not grown up speaking English.”
The Australian government says it uses English language requirements to “manage immigration risks” and “ensure that visa holders can fully participate in the Australian community”.
However, during a recent review of the migration, the federal government said it was not “completely happy” with the current English language arrangements, according to The Guardian, citing Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia.