Education

Julian Hill responds to sector concerns on visa costs and onshore transfers

Published

3 weeks ago

August 18, 2025

Hill’s portfolio is a new one for Australia, added to his duties as assistant minister for citizenship, customs and multicultural affairs. But he is no stranger to international education, having co-chaired the Parliamentary Friends of International Education and engaged closely with the sector during his political career.

There is a clear sense that Hill wants to listen to the sector’s frustrations – many of which were on full display at the recent The PIE Live Asia Pacific conference, where providers and stakeholders voiced concerns about visa refusals, visa fee hikes, lagging enrolments in certain parts of the sector, and unintended consequences of a potential ban on onshore agent commissions.

“There is no perfect way to manage onshore transfers. A perfectly functioning market will always have some level of friction,” said Hill, when asked if such a ban on onshore agent commission could be on the cards, during a webinar hosted by The PIE News.

“Some transfers are perfectly healthy… Sometimes students make the wrong choice – they’re young people,” he said. Circumstances change, a provider may not be the right fit, or a student may need to move cities. It’s a point some stakeholders have long made in arguing that there is a place for some onshore commission – a view Hill appears to share.

“There should be a certain level of transfer. It’s a consumer protection element as well to keep providers focused on offering quality experience that the consumer has some ability to change,” he said.

However, what the government is seeing in parts of the sector is “a level of transfers onshore that is concerning and that raises integrity questions”.

Despite the June 2023 ban on ‘concurrent enrolment’ – a loophole that had allowed newly arrived international students to to switch to cheaper providers shortly after arriving in the country – Hill said the government is still investigating unhealthy patterns.

The assistant minister, who stressed he is open to feedback from the sector, said there is a “spectrum of options” that could address the issue.

Some have suggested Australia could follow neighbouring New Zealand’s new model, requiring students to apply for a new visa when changing providers or lowering their level of study. A more “extreme” option would be a requirement for students to leave the country to apply for a new visa.

Others in the sector have floated the idea of a transfer commissions mechanism to “at least give pause for cause and give better insights into the data flows”, explained Hill.

Meanwhile, he reminded webinar viewers that students already need a new visa is going from higher level or provider to a lower one – but admits that hasn’t always been enforced.

In his conversation with The PIE, Hill was keen to assert the important role agents play in Australia’s international education ecosystem. “There are so many agents who give wonderful service, and care about the students and are passionate about getting the student to the right institution. But there’s obviously a distinction between offshore activity and onshore activity.”

The conversation comes weeks after the Australian government announced an increase to its National Planning Level for 2026 – currently set at 270,000 new international student places. This will increase to 295,000 next year, in what has been described as a “de facto cap” on international enrolments.

According to Hill, the government “inherited a mess,” claiming that integrity measures taken during Labor’s first term were necessary because “growth was expanding at an unsustainable rate, particularly in the less reputable parts of the sector”.

“Now that growth has returned to a sustainable level, we’ve been able to announce an increase in the number of students that we’d like to see commencing in Australia next year, with some of that growth coupled with new student housing and market diversification,” he added.

The government is confident it is on track to hit its targets, but Hill admitted there have been “ups and downs”, particularly with lower-than-expected enrolments in VET and ELICOS.

Stakeholders in the ELICOS sector have been vocal about the devastating impact of visa fee hikes on the sector. Responding to this, Hill defended the cost of Australia’s study visa fee – the most expensive in the world at AUD $2,000. This cost, he said, is a “very small proportion” of studying in Australia when all expenses are considered – tuition fees, living costs, and other contributions.

Historically, Australia has always had a visa fee that is somewhat higher than the global average – that’s been part of our positioning and that will continue
_{^{Julian Hill, assistant minister for international education}}

“Historically, Australia has always had a visa fee that is somewhat higher than the global average – that’s been part of our positioning and that will continue,” he said.

And although he acknowledges the strong feedback coming from ELICOS and study abroad providers that visa fee hikes are having a disproportionate impact on their enrolments, Hill suggests it is not the only factor at play.

“The correlation between a reduction in offshore student numbers was not actually with the first increase to the visa fee… the correlation with the more significant drop in student numbers was when we tightened up the visa integrity settings because of some of the behaviour we were seeing from certain markets,” he said.

Despite this, he sought to assure stakeholders tuned in to the live broadcast that the government is taking their feedback seriously. “I’ve asked the department to prepare options for government to look at… we are listening,” he said.

Sector leaders, previously speaking to The PIE on the issue, were optimistic that lobbying efforts may soon bring relief in the shape of a significant reduction for certain cohorts of short-term students.

As some stakeholders say Ministerial Direction 111 has eased visa refusals, others continue to raise concerns about arbitrary decisions.

Hill encouraged stakeholders to share any concerning patterns in refusals with the Department of Home Affairs directly or with their peak body. “I’ve asked the department to be a bit more available to look at sensible providers and sensible patterns,” he said.

“With the advent of AI, we’re seeing, unfortunately, parts of the world flooding the system with what appear to be, and what have proven to be, fraudulent documents.”

Hill reinforced that any changes are driven by data and patterns of misuse, including overstaying of visas or moving between visas and then making protection claims. “That is not sustainable for the country, and that is what is driving a lot of this rebalancing and integrity of the visa system,” he said.

“The government looks at risk for overstaying the visa and and risk of taking an unmeritorious protection claim. Our risk appetite for these things when you look at the abuse of the protection visa system in Australia is exceptionally low,” noted Hill.

Elsewhere, strengthening the sector’s social licence with the Australian public sits high on Hill’s agenda. For Hill, building the reputation of the international education industry is key to its long-term sustainability, with a positive student experience also central to Australia’s future success.

“We should value the fact that young people choose to come to our country, live in our cities and regions during formative years, and make that contribution,” he said.

The PIE’s interview with The Hon Julian Hill MP is available to view on demand.

Source link

Education

SUNY Geneseo education professor shares AI expertise with area school district | News

Published

1 hour ago

September 7, 2025

Special to The LCN

We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which
enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.

For any issues, contact CustomerService@BataviaNews.com or call (585) 343-8000.

Source link

Education

If we are going to build AI literacy into every level of learning, we must be able to measure it

Published

4 hours ago

September 7, 2025

Amit Sevak

Everywhere you look, someone is telling students and workers to “learn AI.”

It’s become the go-to advice for staying employable, relevant and prepared for the future. But here’s the problem: While definitions of artificial intelligence literacy are starting to emerge, we still lack a consistent, measurable framework to know whether someone is truly ready to use AI effectively and responsibly.

And that is becoming a serious issue for education and workforce systems already being reshaped by AI. Schools and colleges are redesigning their entire curriculums. Companies are rewriting job descriptions. States are launching AI-focused initiatives.

Yet we’re missing a foundational step: agreeing not only on what we mean by AI literacy, but on how we assess it in practice.

Two major recent developments underscore why this step matters, and why it is important that we find a way to take it before urging students to use AI. First, the U.S. Department of Education released its proposed priorities for advancing AI in education, guidance that will ultimately shape how federal grants will support K-12 and higher education. For the first time, we now have a proposed federal definition of AI literacy: the technical knowledge, durable skills and future-ready attitudes required to thrive in a world influenced by AI. Such literacy will enable learners to engage and create with, manage and design AI, while critically evaluating its benefits, risks and implications.

Second, we now have the White House’s American AI Action Plan, a broader national strategy aimed at strengthening the country’s leadership in artificial intelligence. Education and workforce development are central to the plan.

Related: A lot goes on in classrooms from kindergarten to high school. Keep up with our free weekly newsletter on K-12 education.

What both efforts share is a recognition that AI is not just a technological shift, it’s a human one. In many ways, the most important AI literacy skills are not about AI itself, but about the human capacities needed to use AI wisely.

Sadly, the consequences of shallow AI education are already visible in workplaces. Some 55 percent of managers believe their employees are AI-proficient, while only 43 percent of employees share that confidence, according to the 2025 ETS Human Progress Report.

One can say that the same perception gap exists between school administrators and teachers. The disconnect creates risks for organizations and reveals how assumptions about AI literacy can diverge sharply from reality.

But if we’re going to build AI literacy into every level of learning, we have to ask the harder question: How do we both determine when someone is truly AI literate and assess it in ways that are fair, useful and scalable?

AI literacy may be new, but we don’t have to start from scratch to measure it. We’ve tackled challenges like this before, moving beyond check-the-box tests in digital literacy to capture deeper, real-world skills. Building on those lessons will help define and measure this next evolution of 21st-century skills.

Right now, we often treat AI literacy as a binary: You either “have it” or you don’t. But real AI literacy and readiness is more nuanced. It includes understanding how AI works, being able to use it effectively in real-world settings and knowing when to trust it. It includes writing effective prompts, spotting bias, asking hard questions and applying judgment.

This isn’t just about teaching coding or issuing a certificate. It’s about making sure that students, educators and workers can collaborate in and navigate a world in which AI is increasingly involved in how we learn, hire, communicate and make decisions.

Without a way to measure AI literacy, we can’t identify who needs support. We can’t track progress. And we risk letting a new kind of unfairness take root, in which some communities build real capacity with AI and others are left with shallow exposure and no feedback.

What can education leaders do right now to address this issue? I have a few ideas.

First, we need a working definition of AI literacy that goes beyond tool usage. The Department of Education’s proposed definition is a good start, combining technical fluency, applied reasoning and ethical awareness.

Second, assessments of AI literacy should be integrated into curriculum design. Schools and colleges incorporating AI into coursework need clear definitions of proficiency. TeachAI’s AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education is a great resource.

Third, AI proficiency must be defined and measured consistently, or we risk a mismatched state of literacy. Without consistent measurements and standards, one district may see AI literacy as just using ChatGPT, while another defines it far more broadly, leaving students unevenly ready for the next generation of jobs.

To prepare for an AI-driven future, defining and measuring AI literacy must be a priority. Every student will be graduating into a world in which AI literacy is essential. Human resources leaders confirmed in the 2025 ETS Human Progress Report that the No. 1 skill employers are demanding today is AI literacy. Without measurement, we risk building the future on assumptions, not readiness.

And that’s too shaky a foundation for the stakes ahead.

Amit Sevak is CEO of ETS, the largest private educational assessment organization in the world.

Contact the opinion editor at opinion@hechingerreport.org.

This story about AI literacy was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter.

Source link

Education

“AI Is No Longer the Future, It’s Here: Education Must Embrace the Change”

Published

13 hours ago

September 6, 2025

The Editors

Like every other sector, the field of education is no longer untouched by the sweeping transformation brought by Artificial Intelligence (AI). While educators worldwide are still debating how best to adapt to this new reality, a recent seminar in Kolkata underscored one clear message: AI is no longer the future—it is the present, and ignoring it is not an option. Souvik Ghosh reports

“Just like the invention of electricity saved us from studying under lamps, AI is only a tool that will help us in our education—we must adopt it,” said Mumbai-based Epiq Capital Director Navjot Mallika Kaur as she joined other panelists in stressing the importance of AI in the education system at a seminar in Kolkata titled “Future of Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

Organised by Muskaan, Education For All, the WFUNA Foundation, and the United Nations, the seminar was inaugurated by Darrin Farrant, Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), who felt AI should be embraced boldly.

Kaur emphasized the urgency of integrating AI into education, citing how thousands of schools in China are already using it to prepare children for the future.

“I have done a lot of research on what Chinese schools are doing. Around 2,000 schools there have adopted AI, and they’re not shying away from it. They’re actually using it to make children future-ready. That’s a reality we must embrace instead of judging or running away from it,” she said.

“AI gives us opportunities. We remain the masters. Irrespective of age, ChatGPT or any AI tool can act as an assistant, helping us sharpen our capacities to get things done,” she noted.

Kolkata-born Kaur further remarked: “The quality of schools and teachers here is already very high, but we must update ourselves in the age of AI. Teachers need to become friends with technology rather than fear it or only dabble in the basics.”

Samyak Chakrabarty, founder of Workverse, added: “West Bengal has always been a hub of vibrant conversations on art and culture, as it should be. But now it’s equally important to bring AI into the dialogue. With Bengal’s unparalleled creativity and intellectual fearlessness, combining this with the computing power of AI can produce extraordinary outcomes.”

The audience included students and teachers from schools like Don Bosco (Park Circus) and The BSS School. Many teachers expressed cautious optimism, acknowledging that AI’s rapid rise is reshaping traditional curricula.

Addressing the gap between traditional and technology-driven education, Bizongo co-founder Aniket Deb emphasized the enduring role of human agency.

“Learning has never been more important. Even with Google Maps, humans still need to input the start and end points. Education is about survival first, then thriving. Progress won’t stop just because jobs change—humanity doesn’t work that way,” he explained.

Deb, who co-founded Bizongo in 2015 inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative, urged students to focus sharply on their interests. “Transitions always create new jobs. Students who consciously choose their subjects and directions will shine. The ability to choose—even deciding which AI tool to use—will define the future,” he stressed.

Entrepreneur Arjun Vaidya, founder of Dr. Vaidya’s and sixth-generation inheritor of a 150-year-old Ayurvedic legacy, raised questions about the relevance of rote learning in the AI age.

Recalling his own schooling, Vaidya said: “I used to paste chart papers full of dates and notes on my walls to memorize them. But now, students don’t need to mug up those dates—they’re just a click away. What matters is understanding the significance of those dates and how they shaped history.”

According to UNIC Director Darrin Farrant, the UN General Assembly this week announced two initiatives to enhance global cooperation on AI governance. First, the establishment of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI; and second, a global dialogue on AI governance. These steps aim to harness AI’s benefits while managing its risks.

“India, home to one-sixth of humanity, will be a key player in this journey. We must embrace AI boldly, but also ethically and inclusively,” said Farrant, marking his first visit to Kolkata.

IBNS-TWF

Source link