Deputy High Commissioner of Australia, Matthew Mechan, said that at least 10,000 Nigerian students were admitted to Australian universities from 2015 to 2019.
He stated that the process was smooth prior to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mechan made this remark during the education fair currently taking place in Lagos on Saturday.
The two-day gathering, initiated with a gala night on Friday, was arranged to celebrate and reinforce educational connections between Nigeria and Australia. Its purpose also encompassed promoting opportunities within Australia’s higher education sector for Nigerian students.
The deputy head of mission informed the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the study fair was delayed by the pandemic, emphasizing that this event was the first of its kind in the post-COVID-19 era, marking the period since 2019.
Mechan expressed that the study fair’s relaunch was aimed at embracing a comprehensive strategy to bridge the gap left by the pandemic and enhance relations with Nigeria.
He further mentioned that Australia has seen the emergence of numerous successful alumni who have come back to Nigeria and are actively contributing to the growth and advancement of various sectors.
“I recall in 2015, that year we only had 400 people, but after our first fair, we added 1,000 new students. So, we got up to 1,400 students in a space of one year.”
“And that slowly grew over time with a couple of hundreds each year.”
“So, I guess if you pull all those numbers together, I will think probably since 2015 we will be getting not less than 10,000 Nigerians who have had the chance to study in Australia,” he said.
He pointed out that Australia aims to enhance the growth index, encouraging more Nigerian students to pursue their education in Australia’s exciting and stress-free learning environment.
“If we can get back to adding a couple of more hundreds of students each year, that will be great. We know that we offer something incredibly different from other countries,” he said.
He encouraged Nigerians seeking a unique quality education experience in a laid-back setting to contemplate Australia, highlighting that it’s an enjoyable place to both live and study.
“Our lifestyle is very different, it is very relaxed. We are a nice and warm country.
“We have unique wildlife and great lifestyle, by the beach or things like that, that maybe you don’t get in those other countries, which are a bit colder,” he said.
He pointed out that Australian cities, such as Melbourne, have consistently earned the top spot or the second position as the most livable cities globally in The Economist’s rankings over the past decade.
“The High Commission itself has been around since independence but for the Education Fair, specifically we actually did the first one back in 2015 and we were doing them once a year until 2019 and unfortunately it got stopped,” said Mechan.
Reports state that the gathering was attended by representatives from Australian universities, key stakeholders, Nigerian educational institutions, and two federal lawmakers.
Mr. Mohammed Bassi, the Chairman of the House Committee for the Nigerian-Australian Parliamentary Friendship Group in the House of Representatives, expressed his appreciation for the organizers of the fair and the networking meeting, characterizing it as a positive development.
Bassi, who represents a Federal Constituency consisting of four Local Governments in Adamawa, encouraged the Australian government to reciprocate by allowing its citizens to study in Nigeria, thereby enhancing the bilateral friendship. He also urged the Australian government to explore various sectors of Nigeria’s economy, including solid minerals, culture and tourism, as well as non-oil industries, among others.
“We are inviting them to come over to Nigeria and explore the business opportunities we have and other sectors that are of interest,” he said.