Australia's Overseas Students Intake Not Affected by Harsh Economy

When times are rough, Australia's recuitment of overseas students is still on the rise. With the latest statistics recording growth of 21.4 % higher over the same time last year, Australia continues to defy the global downturn. Surprisingly this number is on the rise including that the figures for the key month of March commencement period have not be released as well. China was the biggest contributer, which had more than 70,000 students enrolled in Australian universities, colleges and schools in January, followed by Indoa with just under 60,000 students. Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard described the growth as encouraging and showing the strength of a local industry worth $14.2 billion a year. The vocational education sector, which has campaigned strongly overseas in recent years, continued to record the best, up 46.3% compared to the same time last year.