Study and Starve: Uni Students on the bread line

A piece of toast and a bowl of cereal may not seem like much of a feed,but for desperate university students in Melbourne it might
be all they get.

Demand has skyrocketed this year for free food services at Melbourne campuses with some students surviving on a meal a day.

La Trobe Student Representative Council welfare officer Lachlan Batchelor said up to 100 people came to their breakfast
club each Wednesday on the Bundoora campus to get a piece of toast and a bowl of cereal.

Batchelor said students being hit with rising food prices, rent rises and expensive course costs had led to the demand.

A recent survey by the SRC found 70 percent of students struggled to pay for textbooks,food and accomodation, while
30 per cent of students had a credit card debt.

"It's not only rising rent but things like bond-sometimes its $1000 upfront". " Even students on income support are feeling the
strain quite severly."

RMIT students union welfare officer Tim Roberts said about 120 students turned up to a free soup kitchen on campus
each Wednesday night, but if the service was advertised, he predicted the patronage would jump to more than 500 poor and
hungry students.

Roberts said as rent prices for inner-city housing climbed 17 percent this year, students were being plunged into debt
or poverty, forcing some to drop out of their study and to max out credit cards to survive.

Source: MX Melbourne Daily free Newspaper September 3 2008

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa Clause,

How have you been. I am fine doing alright her in Melbourne. I haven't asked you anything ever. But this year I am going to. So please do your best to help me. If u cant do it its alright-but please do try.

I am hearing news after news of bad things going on in kathmandu and other districts in Nepal. I am so angry and concerned about my countries current situation. Whats this shit about 18 hrs of load shedding in a day. Please Santa if u can do give us some electricity if u have some spare.

And whats happening with people. Why are they fighting carelessly with each other. The media and the parties are quarelling like cats and dogs blaming each other and creating more hostility upon each other. Please help them create some friendship and end this rivalry now.

AND lastly please make nepalese living abroad a bit responsible for their country. I want talented and able people to come back to Nepal and contribute something to the nation. Please do this for me.

THanks Ha!

Increasing Student Visa Holders

Last two years have seen unprecedented students coming to Australia to study. Most populare courses among them are Hospitality, Commercial Cookery, Community welfare, Hair dressing.

Lot of friends are doing hospitality with commercial cookery.While this subject may be popular as a subject of choice among many Nepalese students coming here, I find in the long run they choose to study a different field like business or IT after they get their PR- Permanent Residence. Majority of girls study hair dressing.

True facts about Colleges who offer these courses is that the colleges are small -more like institutes. Majority of students being Nepalese, Indians, chinese. Students from Australia is totally lacking. This I found common in many institutes. The lack of intermingling of Australian students with student from asia is obvious thus.

However, the courses are well structured and attendance is vital if u are to get a good marks. However, there are numerous Institutes which i wont name who arent serious about attendace- not adhering to Immigrations requirement.

Some colleges have been denied a license to run in the past. Few months back Sydney International College has been banned from running any more. So the students have to find another colleges costing them an extra fee.

Introduction of Critical Skills List

CSL-Critical Skills list has been introduced this month which lists occupations that are in critical demands. The processing for PR either onshore or offshore is given priority if the occupation is in the list.

The full list can be viewed herehttp://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/critical-skills-list.pdf.

The introduction of this list can affect other applicants not in the CSL list. Their processing will be slowed down now. But there is no any change in visa rules for Skilled Migration.