Melbourne: External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has said some "dubious" educational institutions in Australia were ruining the lives of young Indians and asked Canberra to come out with new regulations to cover private colleges to undo the damage.
He also said "physical attacks" on Indian students in Australia and the poor quality of courses and services offered in many vocational colleges were of concern to India.
"I think they (vocational colleges) are not only bringing a bad name to Australia but they are destroying the future of the younger generation of Indian students," Krishna,
who is here on a visit, told 'The Australian' newspaper.
He also called for new regulations to cover private colleges and continued reform by the federal and state governments.
However, Krishna also praised Canberra and state governments for responding to India's concerns. He said the damage to Australia's reputation in India need not be long term.
"The Australian and (state) governments have quickly moved in and started undoing the damage by a series of measures taken to dispel any notions of insecurity felt by the
Indian student community," he said.
"I would want the tempo to be maintained so that signals are constantly flowing to India, so that governments are constantly responding to meet our concerns," Krishna, who
met Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his counterpart Stephen Smith during his visit, said.
S M Krishna today left for home wrapping up his five-day visit, during which he received assurances from the Australian leadership that safety and security of Indian students here
will be protected.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 00:23