The Vietnamese Consulate General in Sydney has suggested South Australia further create favourable conditions for Vietnamese students to study in the state at a recent working session with local authorities.

Earlier, the South Australia Education Department announced some changes in receiving students from Vietnam’s central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh under the International Education Programme.

Consulate General calls on South Australia state to facilitate study of Vietnamese students. Photo: VNA

At the working session, the department said it always highly values Vietnamese students and their contributions to the state, noting that it will review policies towards students from the three Vietnamese localities in the time ahead.

Prior to the meeting, the department said it will welcome many international students in the coming weeks under the programme, yet it will temporarily stop receiving applications of students from Ha Tinh and Nghe An.

For students from Quang Binh province, their applications will also not be accepted. However, the regulation may be reviewed in March.  

Students from the northern provinces of Hai Duong, Hai Phong, and Quang Ninh need to provide clear explanations regarding their application purposes, along with specific study plans.

Those from the southern province of Dong Nai, and the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Lam Dong, also need to clarify their application purposes, and the regulation will be reviewed in August.

Such regulations are applied only to students who come under the International Education Programme, not university and vocational students. 

Since the department launched the programme in 1989, thousands of international students have come to the state, with Vietnamese being one of the largest groups. Some 430 students from the Southeast Asian nation enrolled in public schools in South Australia in 2023 under this programme.

Regarding the four Vietnamese students believed to be "uncontactable" in South Australia, the Consulate General has coordinated with local police to look for them and provide information to their families./.