<p> The move follows a string of attacks on Indian students and reports of overseas students being exploited.<br />"The message to providers is, if you're not providing your students with a quality education in a safe environment, clean up your act or risk being shut down," The Age quoted Education Minister Julia Gillard as telling parliament Wednesday.<br />Gillard was introducing amendments to the law regulating schools that provide courses to the nearly half a million overseas students who come to Australia each year, the report said.<br />She said the industry had grown too fast, with insufficient checks and balances, which attracted a small number of unscrupulous operators.<br />"We need to weed out the shonky operators," she said.<br />It will now require all institutions registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students to re-register under tougher criteria by the end of next year and make the use of education agents "more transparent and accountable".<br />Gillard said requiring re-registration would restore confidence in the quality of Australian education.<br />She said all providers would have to publish a list of the agents, whether within or outside Australia, they use.<br />The government was also considering forcing providers to develop websites to allow students to make anonymous comments about agents.<br />Nearly 100,000 students from India are enrolled in various courses in Australia. The assaults on Indian students and reports of colleges exploiting international students had caused an uproar in India.<br />India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had visited Australia, during which he was assured that students would be protected. The attacks had caused concern in Australia's education sector with many fearing a significant drop in the number of students enrolling here.<br />Former Liberal MP Bruce Baird was recently appointed to review the laws covering overseas student services.<br />"We'll take advice from the Baird review, but this is the first, important step in the process of cleaning up an industry that has grown too fast, too soon," Gillard said.</p>
<p> The move follows a string of attacks on Indian students and reports of overseas students being exploited.<br />"The message to providers is, if you're not providing your students with a quality education in a safe environment, clean up your act or risk being shut down," The Age quoted Education Minister Julia Gillard as telling parliament Wednesday.<br />Gillard was introducing amendments to the law regulating schools that provide courses to the nearly half a million overseas students who come to Australia each year, the report said.<br />She said the industry had grown too fast, with insufficient checks and balances, which attracted a small number of unscrupulous operators.<br />"We need to weed out the shonky operators," she said.<br />It will now require all institutions registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students to re-register under tougher criteria by the end of next year and make the use of education agents "more transparent and accountable".<br />Gillard said requiring re-registration would restore confidence in the quality of Australian education.<br />She said all providers would have to publish a list of the agents, whether within or outside Australia, they use.<br />The government was also considering forcing providers to develop websites to allow students to make anonymous comments about agents.<br />Nearly 100,000 students from India are enrolled in various courses in Australia. The assaults on Indian students and reports of colleges exploiting international students had caused an uproar in India.<br />India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had visited Australia, during which he was assured that students would be protected. The attacks had caused concern in Australia's education sector with many fearing a significant drop in the number of students enrolling here.<br />Former Liberal MP Bruce Baird was recently appointed to review the laws covering overseas student services.<br />"We'll take advice from the Baird review, but this is the first, important step in the process of cleaning up an industry that has grown too fast, too soon," Gillard said.</p>