For the first time, Australia will incorporate augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), to showcase Australia’s landscapes, beaches, and cities to Indian students, giving them a sense of what it would be like to live and study in Australia, revealed Vik Singh, Consul (Commercial) and Trade Investment Commissioner for Austrade in South Asia.
The key highlight will be VR tunnels through which students and parents can walk and experience landmarks. He was speaking to The New Indian Express before the Australian Trade and Investment Commission’s (Austrade) Festival of Australia 2024, scheduled for November 18, to show Indian students what Australia has to offer.
The event will bring together 14 Australian universities and five education partners to showcase Australia’s educational programmes and opportunities to Indian students.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Singh reflected on the significance of National Education Policy (NEP) as a catalyst for growing collaboration between India and Australia in the education sector. He highlighted that the NEP, introduced in 2020, is driving a push for internalisation in India, allowing Indian students to access global education without having to leave the country.
“Australian universities are responding by offering joint degree programmes and twinning arrangements, where students can study part of their degree in India and complete the rest in Australia. This flexibility is a growing trend, offering students a unique cross-border learning experience,” he said.
At the Festival of Australia, Singh emphasised that Australian universities are not only showcasing traditional courses like business, Information Technology (IT), and engineering but are also highlighting emerging fields such as psychology, design, architecture and data analytics.
“The event will also feature tools like cost calculators and career quizzes, helping students learn the potential of costs of living and studying in Australia,” he highlighted.
Singh also pointed to the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI ECTA), which provides Indian students with additional post-study work rights, particularly in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communications technology (ICT) fields.
“Indian students studying in these areas benefit from an extra year of work opportunities in Australia compared to their peers from other countries,” Singh noted and further pointed out that this initiative has made Australia an increasingly attractive education destination, with over 1,30,000 Indian students currently studying in Australia.