'Safety of Indian students a matter of highest priority'

Vadodara, May 9: In a letter written to Vadodara MP Balkrishna Shukla, the Australian High Commission has assured that safety of Indian students remains "a matter of highest priority" for his government.

High Commissioner Peter Varghese has said in the letter, written last month after Shukla raised the issue of attacks on Indian students in Australia during the budget session, that "Australia takes its reputation as a safe destination for international students very seriously".

24-years-old Tosha Thakkar, a student from Vadodara, was brutally murdered in Australia in March this year.

But Varghese's letter says that the attacks on Indian students were not "representative of the majority students".

It adds that more than six lakh students from foreign countries were enrolled in Australian colleges last year, including over one lakh Indians.

A study released in December 2010 found that 86 per cent of international students were satisfied with their time in Australia, and Indian students reported the highest satisfaction level, the letter claims.

PTI