Student English Proficiency

Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop says she has seen no evidence that international students are graduating [blank] Australian universities with poor English skills. Research by Monash University academic Bob Birrell has found a third of international students are graduating [blank] a competent level of English. But Ms. Bishop says Australian universities only enroll international students once they have achieved international standards of language proficiency. "This has been an extraordinary attack [blank] Professor Birrell on our universities," she said. "International students must meet international benchmarks in the English language in order to get a place at a university in Australia, and they can't get into university [blank] reaching that international standard." University of Canberra vice-chancellor Roger Dean also says international students are required to sit an English test before being admitted to nearly all Australian universities. "There are, of course, intercultural difficulties as well as language difficulties," he said. "There are, of course, also many Australian students [blank] don't speak such fantastically good English either." "So we're trying to push the standard even higher than a present, but it's a very useful one already." Ms. Bishop says of Australia's university system, which has high standards. "I've seen no evidence to suggest that students are not able to complete their courses because they're failing in English yet they're being passed by the universities," she said. "I've not seen any [blank] to back that up." "International education is one of our largest exports, it's our fourth-largest export, and it's in the interest of our universities to maintain very high standards because their standard fame recognition achievement is at stake."