KATHMANDU (THE KATHMANDU POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK)- Hundreds of Nepali students enrolled in an Australia-based technical institution face an uncertain future after the country's regulator for vocational and training sector deregistered the college after it failed to abide by existing education rules.

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), the regulatory body, on Tuesday (Feb 19) revoked the vocational education and training accreditation of the Australia Institute of Business and Technology, where around 90 per cent of the 1,000 nursing students enrolled are Nepalis.

The regulating agency's assessment showed that the institute had failed to demonstrate its marketing practices were accurate and factual.

The institute had acquired vocational education and training accreditation and the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students registration, but it had failed to get the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council's approval.

Along with the council's approval, the nursing institute also needs to get accreditation from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for the placement and internship of the students in health institutes.

The ASQA said the institute enrolled the students without informing them that it didn't have the approval from the nursing and midwifery council. Along with nursing, the Sydney- and Brisbane-based institute provides education in IT, community service and accounting. The cancellation of the institute will come into effect from March 26, and the institute can appeal against the decision at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in the next 28 days.

Santosh Pal, a student at the institute in Brisbane, told the Post over phone: "The institute has left us in a dilemma... and stress," he said. "We want an immediate solution to this problem."

Currently, the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) is coordinating with different authorities to resolve the issue.

Bijay Sapkota, president of the CISA, said they are looking for different alternatives to ensure all the students get relief from the present crisis.

The student's council is set to hold a meeting with the Tuition Protection Service (TPS), which is an initiative of the Australian Government to assist international students whose education providers are unable to fully deliver their course of study. The TPS ensures that international students will be able to complete their studies in another course or with another education provider or receive a refund of their unspent tuition fees.

Currently, there are three possibilities for the students. The first, possibility is that they be allowed to continue their studies, but that is only possible if the institute wins the appeal from the tribunal.

Another possibility is that after evaluating the courses offered by the institute, students are allowed to transfer their credits to another college. The third possibility is that students are given their tuition fee back.

"We will take every possible step to ensure the problem doesn't last long," Sudip Sapkota, a Nepali student advocating for the rights of AIBT students, told the Post. The Non-Resident Nepali Association-Australia has also expressed its concerns on the issue and asked the Nepali and Australian governments to take proper action after probing the issue. "Both the governments must take stringent measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future," read the NRNA's statement issued on Wednesday (Feb 20).

According to CISA's preliminary study, over two dozen education consultancies had sent students to the institute.

In an online report by Australian broadcaster SBS, the ASQA said the institute could not demonstrate that "its training and assessment practices enabled each learner to meet all requirements of their course, it had sufficient resources including qualified staff and facilities or it had implemented an assessment system to ensure learners had the skills needed".

In a response to SBS after the regulator's decision, AIBT said "the matter is subject to an appeal in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), which includes a stay of ASQA's decision.

"AIBT intends to strenuously defend the decision of ASQA and has already instructed specialist lawyers and senior counsel".

"AIBT is able to continue to operate its business until this matter is heard by the AAT and until the AAT hands down its decision, which may not be until later this year/early next year", said the emailed response.

SBS said a joint statement from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) issued to the broadcaster, said:

"It is the view of the NMBA that registered training organisations should clearly advise students if a program is not accredited by ANMAC and not approved by the NMBA, and that the program will not lead to registration as a nurse or midwife in Australia under the approved qualification pathway."