CRI听力: Stranded Vocational Training Students Fairly Relaxed

Half of the stranded vocational training students are Chinese. Yang Fang, 25, from Hubei Province, was just two weeks away from completing her diploma when Meridian closed. He said he is glad that the Australian Council for Private Education and Training, or ACPET, listened to the request of students like him.

"We asked whether students like us can get our diploma or not. They said yes, as long as we finish the last two weeks of courses in the new school we're transferring to. And they promised that this group of students will be the first to be relocated, and all their previous course results will be kept and recognized."

According to the ACPET, all affected students will be transferred to new schools without paying extra tuition fees. But some students had not collected their existing certificate, transcript, attendance letter or tuition fee receipt before Meridian closed. These documents are required in order to apply for credit free period or tuition exemption from the new school.(www.hXen.com)

However, the ACPET also said if the students do not accept its relocation offer, it will bear no responsibility for any refunds or compensation, and the students will have to take up the issue with Meridian on their own. Most of the students are not happy with this attitude, and some even doubt the ACPET's willingness and ability to fulfill its promises.

Wen Sunfu, also from Fujian Province, actually attended a similar meeting one and a half years ago.

"I'm not optimistic about the results of today's meeting. I transferred to this school from the Sydney Global College after it went bankrupt. So I attended a similar meeting then. For me, today's meeting is no different. The officials did not promise anything explicitly. They only said 'you will have a chance to do this and that.' For me, that means nothing."

David Farrington, a teacher at the Meridian College who attended the meeting with the students, echoed this view, saying the process is so long and students can only wait and see what the APECT does. What's more, he has another concern.

"The new provider. I don't know who the new provider is. How will the students be treated when they go there for the two weeks. And they are going to give them an assessment, I feel very uncomfortable about it, I really do. I don't know how they are going to be treated. Probably be treated well, I don't know, I can't say that either."

Anyway, the crisis at Meridian College, which involves some 3,000 overseas students, has temporarily been resolved. Will such a crisis happen again in the future? No one can say. Fortunately, the Australian government has realized the problem, and is taking action to curve the trend.

Chen Feng, CRI news, Sydney.