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Education Minister Dan Tehan has raised concerns about the English language standards of international students.Credit:Justin McManus

"It has been raised with me that some international students studying in Australia may not have the appropriate English language skills to actively and appropriately participate in a higher education course of study,"Mr Tehan wrote to Anthony McClaran,chief executive of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).

In the February letter,obtained byThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age,Mr Tehan sought advice on what the regulator was doing to enforce standards and noted Australia's requirements to ensure students were"equipped to succeed"and that"ill-prepared students are not knowingly admitted".

"I also seek any information that TEQSA has which points to a systemic failure in universities meeting their duty to not knowingly enroll an international student without the required level of English proficiency to successfully complete the course the student is enrolled in,"he said.

Mr Tehan,who has celebrated the"incredible success story"of Australia's $35 billion international education trade,noted the Coalition government had tightened language standards from January 2018 but requested"advice on how to further strengthen the regulatory framework to protect Australia's excellent education reputation".

The minister's intervention was prompted by acoroner's report into the suicide of Zhikai Liu,a Chinese student at the University of Melbourne. The report suggested improved support for international students.

In response to the minister's letter,Mr McClaran outlined the regulator's policing of standards and said there would be efforts to"expand"oversight of English language course providers that offered a pathway for a large number of foreign students into the Australian system.

He backed the regulatory status quo as"adequate"but suggested some improvements to monitoring,including forcing universities to"record,in detail,the basis on which a student met the required English language entry standard".

Mr McClaran also expressed confidence in universities'internal processes and said there was"little evidence to suggest that there is systemic failure regarding compliance"with language requirements.

Australia has experienced explosive growth in international student numbers.Credit:Simon Schluter

"The data currently indicates that international students have lower attrition rates and higher progression rates than domestic students,"he said.

In an interview with this newspaper,Mr Tehan said a"clear,clear majority"of universities were doing the right thing.

"Now,clearly,some universities have identified a problem and are seeking to address that and I welcome that,"he said."But I think,on the whole,we've got it right. And I think international students are voting with their feet in that regard."

With Australia predicted to overtake Britain as the No.2 destination for international education,Mr Tehan said Australians should be"extraordinarily proud"of the sector's success.

Australia has experienced explosive growth in international education over recent years — 14 per cent in 2018 — and it is now the nation's third-largest export. In 2018,about 400,000 foreign students were enrolled in Australian universities.

The boom has led to concerns among academics and experts about foreign students being treated as"cash cows",the impact on teaching standards,and potential complications stemming from the heavy reliance on Chinese students,who account for a third of international enrolments.

Wary of the overexposure to China as a source country,universities have begun to attempt diversification of their international student populations,which Mr Tehan said was"incredibly important".

"Universities understand that. It's why they have been developing the Indian market,it's why they have been looking to Latin America and it's why they have been looking to other Asian countries with a lot of success,"he said.

Mr Tehan also wants more international students going to regional universities,where he says the"welcome is a lot warmer"and students would feel less isolated than in the cities.

Correction:An earlier version of this article stated there were 125,000 international students enrolled at Australian universities in 2018. That was the number of Chinese students enrolled. The overall figure was about 400,000.

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