Tour boosts education
Delegation visits during carnival
INTERNATIONAL education agent Rima Al-Shareef is part of a group welcomed to Toowoomba in an effort to bolster the numbers of international students to the city.
Ms Al-Shareef is one of the 11 education agents from around the world visiting the Garden City during the Carnival of Flowers.
The delegation has representatives from countries including Argentina, Hong Kong, Jordan and Taiwan.
The delegates visited Toowoomba schools and the University of Southern Queensland.
Ms Al-Shareef said the delegates were looking to strengthen relationships with education institutions in Australia and perspective countries.
“The visit is to hopefully ensure there will be more students coming to study here in the following years,” she said.
The tour will enable the agents to tour partner institutions to better understand how they can service possible international students placed by the agents.
Toowoomba Regional Council deputy mayor Cr Carol Taylor said the tour was a combined initiative of Study Toowoomba and Trade and Investment Queensland.
“Education is an enormous part of our economy, so we think we have something really special here,” Cr Taylor said.
“These education agents are working with our school partners and the USQ.”
The school partners involved with the tour include The Glennie School, Concorida Lutheran College and St Ursula’s College.
Study Toowoomba was established to focus on the importance of education to the region.
The education sector makes a significant contribution to the Toowoomba region’s economy, providing about 8000 jobs and more than $200 million in exports.
“If I was sending my child to the other side of the world to study, I would like to know if someone has checked it out,” Cr Taylor said.