Peak body English Australia surveyed members on the industry’s future and now wants responses to its resulting report quick smart. There’s a reason for that

EA needs to know what members think, including about the standards providers must meet under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act – now being reviewed.  This is important for ELICOS, because the government proposes broad international education  changes, including more on-line courses offered off-shore, which would require ESOS amendments (CMM February 14).

Responses to the ESOS consultation paper are due April 29.

Big issues for ELICOS include the existing requirement for 20 face-to-face contact hours a week,  this was relaxed during the pandemic and one question is how to define f-to-f. Perhaps, EA suggests, “synchronous delivery in class or on-line could be considered as acceptable for meeting the ‘face-to-face’ requirements when the quality of education and student outcomes is not compromised.”

And there are questions of quality control when a provider teaches people off-shore who do not have a visa to study in Australia. Half of survey responders want Australian standards to apply.

There is also the issue of regulating for reality, with nearly 80 per cent of EA members responding wanting provision in the standards for courses “to have a component” delivered on-line whether to on-shore or off-shore students.