Among the 11 was Shihao “Victor” Wang, who flew into Tullamarine and is part of a growing trend in Victoria. Education department figures show that, in 2013, there were 4,034 overseas students in government schools and 2014 growth of 5% is expected. More than 100 international students including Wang enrolled at Doncaster Secondary College this year. Staff travel overseas, often making use of brochure printing services to showcase their education offering in markets to parents and education agents.
Doncaster’s appeal includes the natural environment and technology, and parents can bridge the physical distance. Jeff Pavlou, the assistant principal, highlights that the web portal allows parents to review report cards and attendance records. He said:
"You can … [be] at home in China, and log in and know if your child was in class at 10am this morning."
Many of the children come from heavily developed cities and Pavlou believes that pollution is a very real social issue, especially in China. For Wang, the experiences he says he is most looking forward to include making friends and playing ping pong with them.