Oz to revamp edu sector; India vows crackdown on rogue agents

MELBOURNE: India on Saturday said it will be "ruthless" in dealing with rogue agents duping youngsters pursuing studies here, as Australia announced a revamp of its scam-tainted international education sector and assured safety of Indian students facing racially-motivated attacks.

The Indian government will go after unscrupulous education agents in the country as part of its efforts to control the student crisis, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters here.

"We will be ruthless" with the fake agents who paint a rosy picture and take gullible students for a ride, Krishna, who is on a five-day visit to Australia, said when asked what measures India will be taking to tackle the issue.

A spate of recent attacks on Indian students and unearthing of several scams have battered Australia's USD 15.5 billion international education sector.

Krishna, the first senior Indian leader to visit Australia after the crisis erupted, discussed both the issues in detail with the top Australian leadership, which assured him of protecting the Indian student community.

Amid reports that a number of migration and education agents were "duping" foreign students including Indians, Australia today also announced sweeping changes to resolve problems in accreditation, role of recruitment agents and curriculum.