Student visa applications denied to students passing out of PSEB

The Australian department of immigration and border protection has said that it would not issue student visa applications to students who have passed out of schools affiliated to PSEB (Punjab School Education Board). Many students of PSEB-affiliated schools have already applied to Australian institutions in order to pursue their higher education. This decision by the Australian authorities will deal a body blow to these students as their visa applications will be rejected.

 

The Australian immigration department said that education completed under the PSEB does not figure in the list of the Australian grade 12 qualifications falling under the AEI-NOOSR (Australian Education International - National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition) Guidelines. Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Punjab’s Education Minister, on 10 April called a meeting to discuss this issue. Meanwhile, PSEB will meet the officials of the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) and Ministry of HRD (Human Resource Development) in a bid to resolve the issue. According to Cheema, PSEB has had a record of producing the best students in India as well as overseas, and said that the board adheres stringently to the National Curriculum Framework of 2005. Besides, it is also a member of the (COBSE) (Council of Board of Secondary Education).

 

Tejinder Kaur, the PSEB Chairperson, also gave an assurance that this issue would be resolved very soon. Parents of students wishing to send their children abroad to pursue higher education could do well to verify that the board in which they are enrolling their children is recognised by authorities of various countries as having educational standards acceptable to their levels of education.