Australian students

Are Australian students serious about their studies?

Apparently not.

Maria Grippo wrote that as compared with their Filipino counterparts, Australian students are quite spoiled.  The parents of Filipino students work hard to finance their children through Uni.  Uni fees are expensive.  It comes at such a high cost, that Filipino students work hard so not to disappoint the expectations of their paying parents.

Australian students, in contrast, differ their Uni fees to HECS.  They also get study allowances that adequately cover their living costs.  So these students live it up, party, go on holidays, etc, studying when they feel like it.  They can drop out or differ courses without penalties that are as high as what Filipino students face.  Some students drop out of their courses, end up with low paying courses, and do not repay their HECS debts.

On the radio today, it was reported that students cheat through plagiarism, through buying online services from people who would write their essays and do their assignments.  Many of those online service providers also plagiarise, so the students are easy to spot.  And tutors know the students' abilities, so a student poor in English submitting grammatically correct, well written report is easy to spot.  Why would a student cheat unless he were not serious about learning?

Are all Australian students cheats?  Are all of them not interested in learning, but simply having something to pass their time and to use the education and social welfare system to one's advantage?  Is the Australian education system really lacking in quality and failing to produce graduates who are worth their salt?

Are Australian students really that bad compared to those in other countries?  Or do other countries face similar problems in their education systems?  Or maybe even greater ones?

Australia still attracts students from overseas to study at her Universities.  Perhaps the problem is not in the system, but in the attitudes of some students?  I know some students and some graduates who seems to have their hearts in the right place.

What do you think?

How can Australia clean up its act?